The Way Back (2010)

During WWII, Janusz (Jim Sturgess) is arrested and thrown into a Siberian gulag. With the help of more experienced inmates such as Valka (Colin Farrell) and "Mr. Smith" (Ed Harris, seven prisoners manage a successful escape into the woods. Along the way, they pick up a runaway girl, Irena (Saoirse Ronan), despite worries that she will slow them down. Against all odds, they survive the harsh, freezing elements and complete the long trek south to the Mongolian border. Unfortunately, circumstances are against them, and they discover that they must keep walking, through Mongolia and Tibet and into India, across the dry, brutal flatlands. How long can this ragtag band stay alive?

This one is arguably less fun than Weir's previous movie, mainly because of the disturbing imagery (i.e. starvation, sickness, death, etc.) that inherently goes with prison movies and wilderness survival movies. But Weir makes it all bearable with his general swiftness and tone. The actors follow suit, with warm performances from everyone involved, especially Farrell as a dangerous, but boisterous misfit. In the end, teamwork, sharing, and kindness win out over violence and cruelty. The movie received one lone Oscar nomination, for Best Makeup.

Image Entertainment released a brilliant-looking Blu-Ray with only a making-of featurette and a trailer, but hopefully it will be enough to entice people to discover this overlooked movie.