The Way Back

The Way Back is the epic tale of a group of men from very different backgrounds and personal circumstances escape a gulag in Siberia, and walk to India. A very simplistic view of the film, not least because India is roughly 4000 miles from Siberia, they must escape the inescapable, navigate through miles upon miles of forestry without any navigation tools, hunt for food and water, and all the while avoiding recapture by any of the communist nations surrounding them. But at it’s most simple, they go on a big walk.

The inspiration within the group comes from Janusz (Jim Sturgess), imprisoned for twenty years in the gulag as a result of a statement signed by his wife against her will- swearing that he is anti-communist, anti-Stalin and above all else a spy for foreign countries. Unsurprisingly he is not impressed at the thought of spending twenty years eating slop and breaking rocks. He is a soldier on the other side of the fence, and he has no intention of remaining that way.

Crucially he meets the American Mr. Smith (Ed Harris) as he queues for food, and his first bond is formed. Regardless of how insignificant it seems at the time at the time, Smith is vital to the quest. He is an experienced, wily and respected figure, and his standing is shown during a snowstorm in which he leads the group of both inmates and guards to sheltered safety from the extreme weather conditions. Smith’s importance to Janusz comes at an early stage, as he introduces him to the workings of the gulag community- most notably the fact that it is run by the criminals, and pretty much anything goes.

Spurned on by the supposedly similar escape plans held by Khabarov (Mark Strong), Janusz gathers food and puts together an elaborate escape plan, and as word gets around the group increases in number. Now comprising of Janusz, Smith, Latvian Priest Voss (Gustaf Skarsgård), “funny” Yugoslav accountant Zoran (Dragus Bucur), erotic artist Tomasz (Alexandru Potocean, a 17 year old night blind Pole called Kazik (Sebastian Urzendowsky), and an insane Russian criminal Valka (Colin Farrell), they escape during a heavy snowstorm, minus the actor Khabarov, who had no plan to escape all along.

Now the journey begins in earnest. One step at a time, they first plan to travel to Lake Baikal, and then onwards to Mongolia. And for a while, it is riveting. From the first night spent as free men sheltered amongst the trees from the harsh weather conditions, to a little further down the line when they have become lost; hiding in a cave, hungry, thirsty, with one member ill and the rest severely disheartened - each scene offers a new danger, a new challenge, a new obstacle to overcome.

Also with each passing scene there is a reminder of the hardships of nature. Freezing conditions, endless snow, unbearable heat, miles upon miles of desert sands, sandstorms, massive jungles, mosquitoes, wolves,and the obvious lack of natural food resources and water. The adverse conditions have the obvious effects on the group, with a constant theme of suffering running throughout.

That said, there are only so many times you can watch and care about the characters starving, gasping, stumbling, collapsing and carrying one another before it becomes repetitive. Not excruciatingly so, but enough to have you checking your watch, particularly in the final third. It becomes almost frustrating that there is always just one more forest to cross, or one more mountain range to traverse, it feels as though it’s more of a chore to the group as they laugh and flippantly extend their journey a few hundred miles at a time.

As well as this, for all the hardship that is endured, the threat of recapture becomes slim to none far too early in the journey, eliminating any sub plot that could have been formed. That is perhaps an artistic choice, as the film is based on the novel The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom (1956), which claims to be a true recollection of the proceedings from one of the original survivors, Slawomir Rawicz. It is possible that Weir didn’t want to fabricate occurrences which had not already been claimed, and for resisting the temptation of sensationalism he should be applauded.

At the end of the day this is a film about a group of people with a common goal, and each and every actor does their bit to ensure it is a solid acting performance. However, it is Colin Farrell who absolutely steals the show. Every time he features on screen, his charisma echoes loudly and his presence eclipses the rest of the cast. From an early scene where he stabs a fellow inmate for confronting him he grabs our attention, offering a mixed bag of mental instability and comic relief, and due to both his background and demeanour he appears as an obvious threat to the travelling pack.

As important as Farrell’s character is to the group (mainly down to his knife, the only weapon that they possess), equally important is Saoirse Ronan’s Irena- a young Polish girl who attemps to join the group by spinning a sob story about her life. Having joined the group, her chatty ways allow her to extract personal information from each character, and relay it to the others at appropriate times. Her sociable nature is the catalyst for relationships and bonds to really develop amongst the men, and strong friendships are formed as a result. She also backs up her role with a very impressive performance of steely resolve and childlike innocence, pointing towards a bright future in the industry.

Excluding the aforementioned characters, the most memorable aspect of The Way Back is the fantastic use of establishing shots. A whole array of visually stunning landscapes are captured, with a broad spectrum of everything nature has to offer on show- from the showy mountains to the sprawling dessert, beautifully shot with extremely vivid colours, the landscapes provide images that will remain long after the credits roll. Aside from looking good though, the landscapes play a pivotal role in the story itself, providing a constant reminder of the seemingly endless, exhausting journey that is in progress.

Overall The Way Back represents both some excellent performances and filmmaking, depicting an age old story of true friendship and determination to succeed and conquer against all the odds. Unfortunately it is also far too tedious at times, which makes it seem a little flat, one dimension and boring. It is possible that this comes as a result of telling the audience how the film will end during the opening intertitles, resulting in a lull as it trudges towards the conclusion, but that alone isn’t enough to completely ruin a very good film.

Rating:

3/5