Peter Weir can do better...

Rating: 6/10 (8 April 2011)

Peter Weir is one of my all-time favorite storytellers. 'The Truman Show' was a wonderful film. 'Witness' & 'Dead Poets Society' also were memorable fares. 'Fearless' offered some strong performances. 'Master And Commander' also had it's share of pluses.
However, Weir latest flick, 'The Way Back', which is a war drama, about a group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian Gulag camp during World War II, doesn't rank amongst his finest works.
'The Way Back' begins with a bang, and has a rock-solid first hour. The problem, I thought, began in the latter hour. The writing gets weak, and the pace dips for quite sometime. The writing needed to be sharper, especially in the latter hour.
Weir's direction, as always, is note-worthy. Cinematography is striking. Editng could've been sharper. Performance-Wise: Jim Sturgess rules the show, with a fantastic performance. Sturgess is an actor to watch out for! Ed Harris is good, as ever. Colin Farrell is superb, and gets his Russian accent correct. Saoirse Ronan is fair. Mark Strong, Gustaf Skarsgård & Dragoş Bucur are passable.
On the whole, A Good film, that had the potential to be a GREAT film, but due to it's loose-ends, it's expected impact seems to be missing.