THE WAY BACKRating: PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language.Running time: 2 hours, 12 minutes.
Try to ignore the "based on a true story" aspect of "The Way Back," which is in fact based on a best-seller that most likely is a hoax.
Concentrate instead on what works in this latest film from Peter Weir - namely an epic journey to attain freedom or die trying.
In the early years of World War II, Polish soldier Janusz ("Across the Universe's" Jim Sturgess) is tortured and denounced by the Soviet authorities, then shipped off to a Siberian work camp. There he faces an unendurable life.
Certain he'll never survive a full winter in the gulag, Janusz assembles a group of fellow prisoners who escape.
Caught between wars to the east and the west, the fugitives decide their only chance is to head south, walking 4,000 miles to freedom in India. Not all will make it.