Peter Weir is a craftsman with a penchant for patience. His masterwork Witness (Dances with Wolves or Avatar, but with the Amish) alongside The Truman Show and the underappreciated triumph that is Master & Commander play with the confidence and maturity of a visionary uninterested in cheap thrills and computer gimmicks. The Way Back continues this journey into what made the Glory Days of Hollywood so glorious: an emphasis on strong story above all else, rich characters beautifully performed, and a steady hand behind the camera that allows the audience to bask in the unadulterated reality of the film’s world.
Janusz (Jim Sturgess, so much stronger than his performance in 21) is sent to a gulag in Siberia after his wife is forced to confess against him in The Way Back’s harrowing opening scene. There, in a frigid hell-on-earth, he meets a motley band of characters performed by an all-star cast: Ed Harris as the gruff American, Colin Farrell as the violent and unpredictable Valka, Mark Strong as the man-without-a-plan, and a handful of superb small roles that will make up their merry band.
Based on a memoir, the imprisonment and escape constitute the first act of the film, while the main plot centers on the gang’s long journey through the rolling hills of Siberia, across Tibet, and finally to freedom in India. Along the way, they are joined by a teenage girl, Irena (Saoirse Ronan, whose career is deservedly flying after surviving the schlock of The Lovely Bones) and, unlike most Western films, they are not wracked with temptation but instead become a band of surrogate fathers. This storyline becomes one of the movie’s most heartfelt and heartbreaking.
Lensed by Weir favorite Russell Boyd, the film packs the caliber of visual splendor customary of their collaborations, staggering as always in its simplicity. While Hollywood attempts to reinvent the wheel and maintain audience interest with attention-deficit camera disorders, the masters still know a good story told with a calm hand is best. The gulag and prison are bathed in snow, making for some of the film’s most evocative and compelling imagery. The escape occurs in a blizzard, racing with excitement. Then, with the prison and escape left behind, the movie pauses for an incredible panning shot of the Siberian mountains reminiscent of the defining majesty of The Last of the Mohicans. Thus, the story commences leaving no doubt that the film is operating in a place far beyond the majority of films hitting the theaters.
Ed Harris has been recognized as a great talent for decades, crossing from acting into directing and garnering that rarest of Oscar nominations for directing his own performance. The real virtuoso performance of The Way Back, however, is Colin Farrell. Typecast as an action lead, his riveting work in Martin McDonagh’s merciless In Bruges clashed with American sensibilities and was tragically missed by many. Undeniably one of the best working actors today, Farrell continues his maturation with a performance that electrifies the screen from his first moment. He plays the gambler, symbolic of the cruel, uncompromising, and ironically desperate survivalist that the criminal world and gulag produce. Only in the first half of the film, his departure leaves an unfortunate absence, merely because his character is so enjoyable to watch.
Weir has yet to take home Oscar gold, despite six nominations. The Way Back came and went, unfortunately missed by critics and audiences alike. One can only hope that he once again finds the ever-evasive spotlight with a project that earns him the accolade he so richly deserves. The Way Back is for the mature viewer, trading explosions and CGI for Hollywood’s missing ingredients: story and character.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Just a trailer and behind-the-scenes featurette that has some interesting footage from the gulag set. Weir staggers his films, the last being Master & Commander in 2003 and then The Truman Show in 1998 before that. The precision of his films and the time between suggests a mind patient enough to work an idea from the page into a visual masterpiece. Watching him on set supports just that.
"The Way Back" is on sale September 3, 2010 and is rated PG13. Drama. Directed by Peter Weir. Written by Peter Weir & Keith R. Clarke. Starring Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong, Saoirse Ronan.
