The Way Back
2010 Directed by Peter Weir
Synopsis
Their escape was just the beginning
Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the stark & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the theme of man's struggle for freedom. At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film details their perilous & uncertain journey to freedom, as they cross deserts, mountains, & several nations.
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I haven't felt this guilty eating pizza and drinking beer while watching a film since Steve McQueen's Hunger.
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I have been meaning to watch Peter Weir's The Way Back for a long time and finally now got a chance to watch it and it was quite an experience.
The film with all its beautifully captured shots of landscapes was an incredible treat to the eyes. Be it the freezing cold Siberia, the dry barren deserts of Mongolia, to the stunningly beautiful Himalayas, to the greenery of India, Russell Boyd's lens captures the mood of the places so effervescently and so effortlessly translates them to the viewer. He has done a terrific job here as the camera work keeps the audience glued to the screen even though the meagerly engaging plot and characters don't.
The main complaint I have…
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A movie about walking, and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking.....that is actually a very epic and cinematic experience.
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A bit of a non-event, really. No matter how true the story is, and no matter how well it's shot, you can't escape the fact that this is really quite boring. I would say that this was disappointing, but it's exactly what I was expecting.
An overlong, averagely acted bore.
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You say too many prayers for an innocent man.
-ValkaWhen I started this film all I could think about is how I wish Peter Weir, Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany would get back together to make another Master and Commander movie. Love that film... but I digress.
The film is ludicrously breathtaking. We start off in a Siberian gulag and follow the characters as they try to make it to India on foot which let's the film show us some amazing a varied vistas that you usually wouldn't all get in just one film. To say the cinematography is good would be underselling it.
I find no fault in the acting, and don't mind the Russian accents. The one…
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An epic tale of human achievement mixed in with communism. Great characters and great stories.
Recent reviews
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I have been meaning to watch Peter Weir's The Way Back for a long time and finally now got a chance to watch it and it was quite an experience.
The film with all its beautifully captured shots of landscapes was an incredible treat to the eyes. Be it the freezing cold Siberia, the dry barren deserts of Mongolia, to the stunningly beautiful Himalayas, to the greenery of India, Russell Boyd's lens captures the mood of the places so effervescently and so effortlessly translates them to the viewer. He has done a terrific job here as the camera work keeps the audience glued to the screen even though the meagerly engaging plot and characters don't.
The main complaint I have…
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Peter Weir heeft een nieuwe film. Niets opzienbarends, denk je, ware het niet dat het zijn eerste film is sinds het fel onderschatte 'Master and commander' (2003) én dat het een picturaal bezwerend filmdicht geworden is. Helaas slaagt deze 'Terug naar Siberië voor gevorderden' er ondanks zijn vele troeven nooit echt in om te beklijven waardoor de film je voorts euh ... Siberisch koud laat.
Peter Weir baseerde dit vluchtelingenrelaas op de memoires van ene Slavomir Rawicz. De arme stumper ontsnapte in 1940 uit een Siberische goelag en ondernam een barre voettocht van 6000 kilometer naar India. Intussen is de echtheid van dit relaas reeds betwist, maar vast staat dat zo'n verhaal gefundeness Fressen had moeten zijn voor Peter Weir,…
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A sweeping travelogue, with a bit of drama here and there, The Way Back is at its best in its first hour, as the men plan their escape from the camp and in the initial days of coming to grips with the long journey ahead of them. Weir relies on a number of devices in the latter half of the film to spice up the drama, but there is a similarity that leaves the film dragging its way to a conclusion. Exquisite cinematography, though, and a great story make this a memorable viewing.
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Mr. Smith. Kindness. It'll kill you out here.
B+
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An epic tale of human achievement mixed in with communism. Great characters and great stories.
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Not as good as Rescue Dawn, but a very moving story nonetheless.
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Enjoyed the book it was based on a bit more.
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Affecting survival drama by a terrific director. Great performances, marred only by a somewhat functional script.
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Fantastic landscapes and a lot of walking, as someone pointed: "Imagine Lord of the Rings minus the mythology". It can get a little boring in the middle, but at least we have awesome performances by Jim Sturgess and Collin Farrell.