THE WAY BACK

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Wow. Peter Weir's first film since 2003 is a meticulous character study of seven escapees from a Russian gulag during World War II.

Based on Slavomir Rawicz's 1956 memoir, the film chronicles the men's yearlong 4500-mile foot hike across Siberia, Mongolia's Gobi desert, and China before finding freedom in India. Gritty survival finds its filmic level.

Jim Sturgess ("Fifty Dead Men Walking") gives a powerful performance as a Polish prisoner Janusz. He leads the group's improbable escape. Janusz's wife sold him out to the Russians, yet he remains determined to return to her someday.

Among the group is a stoic American who insists on being called Mr. Smith (played by the ever-reliable Ed Harris) and Valka, a heavily tattooed Russian gangster with a ruthless penchant for killing (brilliantly played by Colin Farrell).

Alexandru Potocean and Dragos Bucur take on notable secondary roles. In the Siberian forests the men grudgingly accept another refugee, a young girl named Irena (Ronan Saoirse) who brings harmony to the tense journey.

Nature herself proves to be a large physical and psychological prison. Foreign cultures are another hazard. Since its publication the veracity of Rawicz's memoir has been contested. Intrinsic to the incredible story of survival is a personal element of anonymity which covers the tracks of its characters. Freedom proves to be a delicate value, and an exacting reality. This is not a film to approach lightly.

Rated PG-13. 133 mins.