"The Way Back" came out in the middle of the Oscar push and while it received a lot of positive reviews it never got my attention. Perhaps it was just the overwhelming number of movies to be seen, but in the end I never felt like I had missed much. I had some friends that so it and they spoke highly of it as well, so I didn't want to completely disregard this film and figured Netflix would be the best place for it in the end. Finally reaching the top of my queue and a long holiday weekend gave me the time to watch it.
Peter Weir directs the epic film of WWII prisoners escaping on the 4000 mile long journey from Siberia to India. The escapees are lead by Jim Sturgess as well as Ed Harris and Colin Farrell. The cinematography is equally impressive as the journey takes them through the snow covered mountains countered by the arid desert. The escapees battle every element and the emotional scars run deep for all of them while they have to carry each other along the edge of life, and death.
If you have read my blog before, you may know that I have been critical of Saoirse Ronan in the past. Her performance is possibly her best ever. In my opinion it is better than her performance in "Atonement" (2007).
In the end the film was nominated for Best Makeup, a category that I usually don't pay much attention to. I could have also seen Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, or Ed Harris receiving a nomination. Neither of them would have won, but they were strong enough in their performance as well as the script and the remaining cast to receive a very honorable 5 Quacks. The film is very long at 133 minutes, so I am glad I watched it at home rather than at the theater for the length alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment