The Way Back

Sławomir Rawicz experienced something unimaginable, so I have no problem tolerating his fiction. The post-war generation needed many such stories to survive. After the first war, there was Anastasia, after the second The Way Back. The only problem I have is with the adaptation being too universal and with actors who are too famous. Colin Farrell and Ed Harris? Their faces are simply an obstacle to believable ordinary characters. (17/01/2023)

The nonsensically edited first half, which doesn't let a single scene resonate, battles with the beautifully sprawling second half that pushes the limits of the widescreen camera to the limit. This takes points off Weir's film in the final rating despite the fact that he manages to introduce his characters using only a few words and make you like them without dramatizing the scene in any drastic way; he makes do with great actors, a few frostbite marks, and swollen lips from dryness. (13/10/2011)

What was missing in As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me was in this film. Characters one can relate to, spectacular shots of Russian, Mongolian, Indian and other nature (National Geographic is National Geographic), great music. Some of the scenes (the men chase away a pack of wolves from a carcass and then act just like them - crossing the desert...) are memorable, as are Colin Farrell's creations (I was staring). I was disappointed by the totally unused Mark Strong, the shamefully shortened Himalayan crossing and the whole rushed ending in general. (25/08/2011)

Nothing but a few above-average scenes that touch the heart. Otherwise, this film is too polished and cinematic, which shouldn't be surprising considering it was directed by a film classic and a person who rarely goes against the tide. Peter Weir is undoubtedly a great director, but his conservative style didn’t resonate with me here. He knows how to set up a good game, with an attractive thematic approach and a stellar cast, but he didn't completely captivate me. Without the crazy Colin Farrell and the raw Ed Harris, The Way Back would be nothing more than an average adventure film, where everything is as it should be, and the plot can be essentially predicted. The dream sequences are completely out of place. What I want is either a gritty, uncompromising film, or something that I can philosophise to. Having both doesn't work. (04/06/2011)

Director Peter Weir already has a few masterpieces under his belt, but in this case, I really didn't get this film. It's too shallow, and the dialogues are informative so that even an American viewer unfamiliar with Soviet history can follow the plot. Moreover, the characters are black and white, and it's no coincidence that the only truly well-rounded character is the classic Russian criminal played excellently by Colin Farrell, who exudes genuine emotions, animality, and charisma. Unfortunately, the script does not prescribe him a more significant role, and he completely disappears halfway through the film. This subject matter directly called for a series adaptation in six to eight-hour episodes because there simply isn't enough room in this format for the development of characters and the viewer's acceptance of them. Despite the long runtime, many things are rushed through, and the viewer mostly follows a group of refugees walking through the taiga, desert, or high mountains without witnessing the small but characteristic moments, conflicts, and decisions for the survival of the characters. For example, the escape from the gulag is rushed, and many scenes are highly improbable. Escapes from the camps, for understandable reasons, took place during the hot Siberian summer, not in snowy blizzards and at -40°C... Overall impression: 55%. Despite good intentions, watching The Way Back is at times as descriptive and hastily done in its dramatic aspect as the suffering of the refugees themselves. (18/04/2011)