Les chemins de la liberté

Cette production inspirée d'une anecdote historique extraordinaire souffre d'un scénario laborieux et de nombreux problèmes de rythme.

On se consolera avec des paysages magnifiques et un bel ensemble de comédiens mené par Ed Harris, qu'on ne se lasse pas de voir à l'écran.

S'il n'avait pas inutilement étiré le déroulement de son récit sur plus de 133 minutes, le vétéran réalisateur australien aurait certainement accouché d'une oeuvre plus énergique, qui n'aurait pas eu à souffrir de nombreuses baisses de tension.

All of them speak a strange combination of Russian, Polish and English with heavy Russian accents, reminding us that while we're deep in the Soviet hinterland, the movie cameras are not far behind.

La distribution est solide, mais les acteurs sombrent parfois dans une certaine caricature.

Only in the final moments does The Way Back stumble, Weir wrapping up the story too quickly when I would have followed along for another hour easily, the veteran director apparently afraid of turning in a true epic.

Suffice to say, I thought The Way Back was an incredible film, and I strongly urge anyone who's lucky enough to live near a theater playing this film to take the journey offered by The Way Back. At times it's grueling, and even difficult to watch, but it's a remarkably powerful film.

The Way Back, with its epic story and spectacularly bleak setting, invites comparisons with Laurence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago. It's awash in vast, unforgiving terrain.

By staking a claim on the historical record, Mr. Weir needlessly burdens his story, investing it with an expectation of brute truth that this overly temperate film doesn't want to meet.