The Way Back isn't for the faint of heart, but it's visceral, and visual creativity makes it an experience worth taking.

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2011)

I recently got a chance to see the grand epic The Way Back. This isn't a perfect movie, but I'm gladly going to give it thumbs up.
Based on an impossible, but incredible true tale, the film centers on a group of people who escape from a concentration camp in Siberia, and attempt to travel all the way to India on foot. This includes the leader, a young Polish POW named Janusz (Played by Jim Sturgess), a no crap from anyone criminal named Valka (Played by Colin Farrell), an American immigrant simply known as Mr. Smith (Played by Ed Harris), and the mysterious Irena (Played by Saoirse Ronan), an orphan who tags along with the group.
The film is a dazzling epic directed by Peter Weir, a visual artist best known for films like Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show. And while it certainly isn't his best directed, it's certainly one of his most beautiful. He doesn't fall back on the well known three act structure, but that's probably for the better, as the film beholds plenty of things to keep us watching. The journey is a long and visceral experience, and his ensemble cast is deeply effective, specifically that of Saoirse Ronan, who steals each and every scene she's in by delivering brilliance through understatement.
Each and every one of Weir's technical crew deserves nothing but praise, such as Russell Boyd for cinematography that calls back to the epics of David Lean, Lee Smith's smart film cutting, and the incredible Oscar nominated makeup team of Edouard Henriques, Greg Funk and Yolanda Toussieng. Their work which includes hardships like overheat, illness, exhaustion, and malnourishment adds a subtle depth to the pain of the characters, and makes it feel more genuine.
The Way Back isn't for everyone, but it's an experience I think most should have at least once.
I give it *** out of ****