05 March,2011 06:19 AM IST | | Bryan Durham
THE WAY BACK
A; WAR DRAMA
Dir: Peter Weir
Cast: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan
Rating: '''
WHAT'S IT ABOUT: It's the beginning of the second world war. Poland is attacked and is sandwiched by Germany and Russia who both stake claims to the country. Caught in the middle is the common man who is incarcerated on the very suspicion of spying. And as if to clear a backlog (reminiscent of Russia's own KGB), family members are forced to squeal on their own.
The Way Back is about prisoners of a Siberian gulag, who make a run for it, braving harsh climes, across snowy and scorched wilderness, in the quest for freedom.
Janusz (Sturgess) is a Pole who is separated from his wife and cannot return to Poland as long as it is under communist rule. While in Siberia (he's there for 20 years), he gets together a number of guys (Farrell, Harris among others) with the same intention - freedom. They travel across 4000 kms past Mongolia, China and Tibet, finally landing in India's tea fields.
How the four of them made it there, is what this film is about.
WHAT'S HOT: This being a National Geographic production, one can expect spectacular photography across varying punishing terrains and a story that spans an equally wide expanse of emotions. Ed Harris and Sturgess stand out among the cast. Ronan has little to do but she makes the most of it.
WHAT'S NOT: As the group nears the end of the journey, it becomes far too difficult to view if you are faint-hearted. You know
WHAT TO DO? For the photography alone, the film is worth a watch. A tale of survival makes for a good afternoon flick, any given day of the week. If you dislike intense flicks, stay away.
