The Way Back - Review

With such an immense journey to transfer over to a two hour piece of cinema the first problem is clearly condensing scenarios down to fit the plot. Some of this is done well here, but with such little time to invest in some interesting characters played by such brilliant talents, the film eventually suffers by having to skip through long periods of time in order to role in at a decent time. This makes the whole film seem like a paint by numbers affair, but when you're dealing with a 'true story' the events don't always result in a more heightened drama. One of the more colourful characters in the film is played by Colin Farrell who persistently represents a threat in the party and gives each event a sense of uncertainty, once his character abandons the party that sense of uncertainty disappears and makes the plot more about just getting through rather than worrying about each others psyche. 

In total three people make it through this epic journey and for the most part of the film these characters are given an even hand in the plot, but for some reason Weir seems more concerned with the plight of the main protagonist Janusz, rather than giving the other characters an ending to suit. All it would have taken were some titles to tell the audience what happened to each, yet for some reason any information is totally disclosed. When a large part of the emotional weight of this film is invested in the support cast and not just the main protagonist it seems ungratefully self serving to just focus on his journey, which although noble, is not the only story the audience is interested in the end.

This is not to say that the film is not enjoyable, it's a triumphant story of mans will to be free and to gain it at any cost. The production is brilliant with some awe inspiring landscape shots and incredible make up as the characters face the toils of the wilderness. The cast is stunning, it's just a shame that with so much to cram into a film no significant emotional weight is ever gained for any of the characters. There's a horrible sense of disconnection, but ultimately this is an entertaining film and one I did enjoy.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

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