Review of The Way Back (2011) by Tristan P — 16 May 2012

The interrogation scenes at the beginning of the movie are crucial to the understanding of several of the escapees' mindset later on. If you miss the first few minutes, you will not be able to appreciate the full struggle of the main players. If you like the movie "The Great Escape, keep in mind "The Way Back" is nothing at all like it. In Siberia, the guards and the army don't bother to run after the escapees, nature is expected to ensure their demise.

A terrific cast was entrusted with a script that has enough meat in it to satisfy the most difficult character actors. This was an ensemble performance by default. As the tagline says, the escape from the gulag was just the beginning. Tough terrain, harsh, very harsh weather, etc., etc., and when they reached the border, crossing out of Russia, they find they are faced with the same damn communist system in neighbouring countries, the system they ran away from back in the gulag. The actors don't curse but you will feel like cursing for them. As you can expect, the cinematography is an important part of the movie as it must convey the journey's difficulties. In other words, the more beautiful the scenery is, the tougher the challenge. The special effects that turn the escapees into living corpses were well done.

Conspicuously, nothing sexual happens to the character of Saoirse Ronan; when you consider the circumstances, it is a miracle or a matter the writer or director could not come to terms with. I suspect the latter. This movie was the surprise drama of the year so far for me. No popcorn and coke with this movie; this is a coffee movie, if you get my drift.