Photo by: daemonsmovies.com

For the few that are lucky enough to see “The Way Back” during its limited release, they will be delighted by an awesome adventure that focuses on survival, teamwork and pure audacity as several escaped prisoners attempt to walk a long, arduous journey to freedom.

The film is based on the novel “The Long Walk,” written by Slawomir Rawicz.

The film follows a Polish citizen named Janusz (Jim Sturgess) during the beginning of World War II. After his wife gives in to torture – inflicted by Soviets – and fingers Janusz as a spy working against the motherland, the man is imprisoned at a Siberian Gulag.

The Gulag is worse than death; after Janusz befriends other inmates – including an old American calling himself Mr. Smith, played by Ed Harris, and a brutal but loyal Russian named Valka (Colin Farrell) – the group breaks out of prison and begins a grueling 4,000-mile walk south to India.

The group fights through starvation, sickness, thirst, horrible weather conditions and a bounty looming over their heads as they attempt to make it to India, a “safe” country during the war.

The group makes dangerous decisions to survive, including hiking over the frozen Himalayas, braving the Gobi desert and even passing through the Great Wall of China.

Along the way, the group of men pick up a young orphan, also on the run from the Russians, whose name is Irena. Played by Saoirse Ronan, Irena helps bring back joy between the men.

This is a contender for some of the best locations shot in a movie this year.

The acting is superb. There are heart-wrenching scenes for all of the characters that will leave any viewer begging for more.

The movie tops the two hour and 15 minute length, so viewers will need to be willing to sit through a very long 4,000 miles.

The better acting is produced by Saoirse Ronan; her desperation to search for friendship in such a lonely age leads to Irena becoming a favorite character of the movie.

Despite being the only woman, she dominates the screen. Even the hesitant Mr. Smith grudgingly approves of her value and eventually becomes very good friends with her.

Interestingly, there are no Nazis or Japanese soldiers in this film; the main antagonist, apart from a few scenes with the Soviets, is nature itself. World War II is largely absent where these travelers go.