The Way Back

At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag—to take a perilous and uncertain journey to freedom as they cross deserts, mountains and several nations.

Cast

Ed Harris

as Mr. Smith

Jim Sturgess

as Janusz Wieszczek

Saoirse Ronan

as Irena Zielińska

Colin Farrell

as Valka

Mark Strong

as Andrei Khabarov

Gustaf Skarsgård

as Andrejs Voss

Dejan Angelov

as Andrei

Dragoș Bucur

as Zoran

Sally Brunski

as Janusz's Wife, 1939

Alexandru Potocean

as Tomasz Horodinsky

Reviews

Andres Gomez

It is always a pleasure to watch one of Ed Harris movies. The plot hooks you and the staging is impressive but the movie is not as thrilling as it could have been....

Wuchak

***Better to die free than live under the shackles of communism*** "The Way Back" (2010) takes place circa 1940-42 and details a group's mad escape from a Siberian gulag through the cold, desolate Soviet wilderness into Mongolia, across the great Gobi desert, through mountainous Tibet and ultimat...

Similar Movies

The Lives of Others

In 1984 East Berlin, dedicated Stasi officer Gerd Wiesler begins spying on a famous playwright and his actress-lover Christa-Maria. Wiesler becomes unexpectedly sympathetic to the couple, and faces conflicting loyalties when his superior takes a liking to Christa-Maria.

⭐ 8.0

The Master Race

When allied troops liberate a small battle-scarred Belgium town in 1944 the American and British commanders do all they can to help the war-weary people back on their feet. There are mental and physical wounds to heal, fields to plough, the church to rebuild. But a top Nazi, knowing the War is lost, has infiltrated the town and is fostering dissent and disunity.

⭐ 6.2

Out of Africa

Tells the life story of Danish author Karen Blixen, who at the beginning of the 20th century moved to Africa to build a new life for herself. The film is based on her 1937 autobiographical novel.

⭐ 7.2

Downfall

In April of 1945, Germany stands at the brink of defeat with the Russian Army closing in from the east and the Allied Expeditionary Force attacking from the west. In Berlin, capital of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler proclaims that Germany will still achieve victory and orders his generals and advisers to fight to the last man. When the end finally does come, and Hitler lies dead by his own hand, what is left of his military must find a way to end the killing that is the Battle of Berlin, and lay down their arms in surrender.

⭐ 7.9

The Killing Fields

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

⭐ 7.5

Stalag 17

It's a dreary Christmas 1944 for the American POWs in Stalag 17 and the men in Barracks 4, all sergeants, have to deal with a grave problem—there seems to be a security leak.

⭐ 7.7

Soldier of Orange

The lives of Erik Lanshof and five of his closest friends take different paths when the German army invades the Netherlands in 1940: fight and resistance, fear and resignation, collaboration and high treason.

⭐ 7.1

Life Is Beautiful

A touching story of an Italian book seller of Jewish ancestry who lives in his own little fairy tale. His creative and happy life would come to an abrupt halt when his entire family is deported to a concentration camp during World War II. While locked up he tries to convince his son that the whole thing is just a game.

⭐ 8.4

Heroes of the Underground

Besides martial arts, Bruce Lee's contribution to Chinese society was instilling a strong sense of nationalism. After his death, anti-Japanese films found new breathe especially in Taiwan. Based on a King Hu’s script, Heroes Of The Underground tapped into Lee's nationalistic fervor and the Confucian ethic of country above family and starred the popular Ching Li as a World War II, Chinese secret agent planted into the Japanese Headquarters at Changsha. Tears flow in the name of country pride.

⭐ 6.0

Berlin Tunnel 21

In Berlin in 1961, an American soldier and a German engineer join forces to build a tunnel under the Berlin Wall in order to smuggle out refugees, including the soldier's East German girlfriend.

⭐ 6.5

Sunflower

After World War II, a woman refuses to believe her husband, missing on the Russian front, is dead. Flashbacks reveal their brief courtship and marriage. Years later, she travels to Russia with his photo, determined to find him. What will she discover?

⭐ 7.5

Ankle Bone

While escaping from prison to be with her lesbian friend, a 19-year-old girl breaks her ankle and is picked up by an ex-con, with whom she begins a passionate affair. She finally turns to prostitution and robbery to support herself.

⭐ 4.9

Goodbye Bafana

The true story of a white South African racist whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela.

⭐ 6.8

Malcolm X

A tribute to the controversial black activist and leader of the struggle for black liberation. He hit bottom during his imprisonment in the '50s, he became a Black Muslim and then a leader in the Nation of Islam. His assassination in 1965 left a legacy of self-determination and racial pride.

⭐ 7.5

Memoirs of a Geisha

In the years before World War II, a penniless Japanese child is torn from her family to work as a maid in a geisha house.

⭐ 7.7

Fahrenheit 451

In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers, known as “firemen,” to perform the necessary book burnings. Fireman Montag begins to question the morality of his vocation…

⭐ 7.1

The Front

A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.

⭐ 7.0

Captain America: The First Avenger

During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.

⭐ 7.0

To End All Wars

Based on a real-life story, this drama focuses on a small group of Allied soldiers in Burma who are held captive by the Japanese. Capt. Ernest Gordon, Lt. Jim Reardon and Maj. Ian Campbell are among the military officers kept imprisoned and routinely beaten and deprived of food. While Campbell wants to rebel and attempt an escape, Gordon tries to take a more stoic approach, an attitude that proves to be surprisingly resonant.

⭐ 6.4

The Dirty Dozen

12 American military prisoners in World War II are ordered to infiltrate a well-guarded enemy château and kill the Nazi officers vacationing there. The soldiers, most of whom are facing death sentences for a variety of violent crimes, agree to the mission and the possible commuting of their sentences.

⭐ 7.6