The Way Back (2010) - Weir's honorable but muddled, presumably last film

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A textural and visually appealing poster for Peter Weir's The Way Back

 

A political prison in Sibiria during the Stalin regime: Extreme hardship reigns, and surrounding the camp is colossal, hostile Russia. A group of prisoners escape and launch on a 4,000 mile walk through forests, desert and mountains. - Not every one makes it.

 

The Way Back, written by Keith R. Clarke (Ben-Hur (2016)) and great Australian co-writer/co-producer/director Peter Weir (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)), based on Sławomir Rawicz's supposedly autobiographical novel The Long Walk (1955), is on an honorable mission: Portraying the misanthropic consequences of communism with a story that utilizes Christian themes. Unfortunately the film isn't good enough.

The language aspect, (different kinds of English accents, Russian accent, broken English and some few Russian words are combined), is interfering and strange. Colin Farrell (Alexander (2004)) is just plain bad as a brutal Russian with Stalin in his heart. The film has nearly no releases in the form of humor, - but it does have unconvincing CGI wolves, (ugh!) The harshness of nature isn't done justice in this regrettably mixed experience which seems destined to become Weir's last film.

 

Related review:

 

Peter Weir: The Cars That Ate Paris/The Cars That Eat People (1974) or, Small Town, Big Hell

Watch a 1-minute clip from the film here

Cost: 30 mil. $

Box office: 20.3 mil. $

= Huge flop

[The Way Back premiered September 3 (Telluride Film Festival) and runs 133 minutes. Filming took place from February - June 2009 in Bulgaria, Morocco and India. Pole Rawicz's book's truthfulness has been contended by several since its publication, which was sold in more than 500k copies. Weir believes the story to be true but says his film is "essentially fiction". The film opened and peaked at #15 in 678 theaters to a 1.2 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it grossed just 2.7 mil. $ (13.3 % of the total gross). The 3 biggest markets were France with 7.3 mil. (36 %), Spain with 4 mil. $ (19.7 %) and the UK with 3 mil. $ (14.8 %), (followed by North America.) The film was nominated for the Best Makeup Oscar, which it lost to The Wolfman. The Way Back is certified fresh at 75 % with a 6.8 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Way Back?

Fair Game (2010) or, The Intelligence War

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+ Best Political Movie of the Year

Naomi Watts and Sean Penn wind up in a CIA-mess in Doug Liman's Fair Game

Valerie Plame is a skilled CIA-agent and mother of two, whose husband gets sent to Africa to investigate a possible, suspicious uranium deal involving Iraq. After the US war on Iraq is commenced and he shares his find with the rest of the world, the family find themselves in a hellish situation.

Fair Game tells the very interesting story of the rickety foundation for the Iraq War and the brutal handling of the intelligence operatives who bravely made us all aware of this. It is well-made and has Naomi Watts (Ellie Parker (2005)) and Sean Penn (Bad Boys (1983)) both well-playing in the leads along with a line of lovely supporting cast faces.
Unfortunately the title of the film and the casting of the two outspokenly liberal stars, - of whom Penn will be especially divisive when he approaches the sanctimonious, as his character does a couple of times here, - will undoubtedly make a segment of right-leaning audiences skip the film. That is a shame and it weighs down the rating a wee bit.
Fair Game is written by Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Edge of Tomorrow (2014), both), based on Plame's memoir Fair Game (2007) and her husband Joseph C. Wilson's memoir The Politics of Truth (2004), and directed by Doug Liman (Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)).

Related posts:

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Watch a few excerpts from the film here

Cost: 22 mil. $
Box office: 24.1 mil. $
= Big flop
[Fair Game premiered May 20 (Cannes) and runs 108 minutes. Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe were in talks to star in it at an earlier point. It was shot from March - June 2009 in Jordan, Egypt, Malaysia, New York and Washington, D.C.. It was shown in competition in Cannes. It opened #15 to a 651k $ first weekend, peaking in just 436 theaters in North America, where it grossed 9.5 mil.$ (39.4 % of the total gross). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Spain with 3.4 mil. $ (14.1 %) and Australia with 2.4 mil. $ (10 %). Fair Game is certified fresh at 79 % with a 6.9 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Fair Game?