The Ron’s review published on Letterboxd:
The Way Back is the story of a group of men who escape imprisonment and communism. They're later joined by a female (Saoirse Ronan). They achieve this by fleeing prison in Siberia and walking 4000 miles to India. As you can imagine they face many trials and tribulations along the way.
The cast which features Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, and Saoirse Ronan is solid. I didn't have an issue with any of the acting.
Peter Weir's directing is good as well. From the harsh terrains of Siberia, Mongolia, and Tibet it's all shot beautifully. You feel the groups struggle through the elements they encounter, and it's what makes the story work.
As for the overall story this is where I have issues. This should be gripping, heartbreaking stuff, but for some reason I didn't get the emotion that should be there in a film like this. Something about the way it's presented didn't convey the expected emotions. It may be because it's a bit on the slow side, and even though it's over 2 hours long I think we needed to see more of their struggle. I suppose that seems strange but it would of helped had I been more emotionally invested.
Overall I'd say it's worth watching though. It's well done for the most part and the actual story it's based on is amazing to say the least. It's crazy what we can endure with proper motivation.