Saw this last night - as a piece of entertainment I'd give it 6.5 out of 10, didn't find it as long as some of the reviews were claiming, but neither Colin Farrell nor Saoirse Ronan added much in terms of plot to the film. Fairly dubious as to the background though - could four men really have escaped any detection for 4,000 miles, and seems strange that even though the book was released in '55, that none of his companions ever passed any comment on the author's story.
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The Way Back
When documenting man vs. nature, it was a fine film. Not so much when showing the human interaction between the escapees. The opening 10 minutes and last two minutes were the weakest part of the film.
Really enjoyed seeing Bucur bringing a touch of class to his role - he's been fantastic in the Romanian New Wave pictures I've seen him in.
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Not sure why you think that neither Farrell or Ronan added to the plot. Ronan's character communicated the prior lives of the men and allowed the others to show their hearts of gold.
Farrell's character allowed riffs on strong men, criminality vs. political prisoners, fear of the unknown as well as introducing tension within the group.
Now, I'd agree that some of the scenes they were in were ham-fisted but I can't see how they didn't add much to the plot[/spoiler] -
The Way Back
As for the background, the articles I've read about the film and the interview I heard with Mark Strong on Kermode's podcast suggest that some people made the journey but that it was unlikely to have been the author of the memoirs.Comment
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