The Way Back is the story of an oddly international group of prisoners in a Siberian prison camp, trapped more by the vast and unforgiving wilderness than the armed guards in Stalin’s time. A new arrival, Janusz (Jim Sturges), who was convicted on the false testimony of his wife, brings hope and a conviction that escape is possible.

The spiritual leader of the group is Ed Harris, as “Mister Smith,” a taciturn and enigmatic self-proclaimed survivor who is inspired by Janusz’ determination to escape and his competency in the wilderness. As they prepare to escape, stockpiling food and materials, they are joined by an odd army, each from a different country and linguistic group, all united by their nearly flawless command of English, except for Valka (Colin Farrell), a member of the prison-ruling Bratva who has run up a lethal debt gambling for cigarettes, speaks with a strong Russian accent.

The group escapes through the Siberian woods, suffering some casualties, and makes their way through the rugged, frigid terrain to the edge of Lake Baikal, where they encounter the enigmatic Irena (Saoirse Ronan), a young girl who has apparently made her way into the wilderness an unknown distance alone, having escaped a collective farm.

It is through her questioning that we learn the painful back stories of each of the surviving characters, each having suffered the loss of family or friends or having been betrayed by them.

Together they struggle through the landscape overcoming obstacle after obstacle until they cross the border into Mongolia, only to discover that it is home not only to the even more unforgiving Gobi desert, but also to Communism.

Determined to escape not only Russia, but also Communism, they vow to continue on to India. The geography becomes a bit difficult to follow as they find a heretofore unknown vestige of the Great Wall of China at the equally unexpected shared corner of Mongolia, China, and Nepal.

While the story follows a fairly familiar “great escape” format, and despite some liberties taken with strict adherence to reasonable facts, it is a beautiful movie that is fun to watch. The acting and character development is compelling and engaging, particularly Ed Harris and Jim Sturges, though Colin Farrel’s bad boy is the most entertaining and suits him well.

I recommend it.