Movie · 2010 · Drama, Adventure, History · 2h 13m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 4.9/10 (164.7K ratings)
Their escape was just the beginning.
Overview
A small band of multicultural convicts stages a daring escape from a WWII-era Siberian gulag, and embarks on a treacherous journey across five countries in a desperate race for freedom and survival.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.9/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Letterboxd: 3.51/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 7.0/10
Director
Peter Weir
Production
Exclusive Media, National Geographic Films, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Exclusive Films, Monolith Films
Cast
Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell, Mark Strong, Gustaf Skarsgård, Dejan Angelov, Dragoș Bucur, Sally Brunski, Alexandru Potocean, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Zahari Baharov, Ihor Hniezdilov, Stanislav Pishtalov, Mariy Grigorov, Nikolay Stanoev, Stefan Shterev, Yordan Bikov, Ruslan Kupenov, Nikolay Mutafchiev
Where to watch
MUBI
Curator Review
Verdict
An austere, old-school survival epic that turns a prison escape into a long, punishing test of endurance. It’s strongest when it leans into physical hardship, landscape, and quiet human resolve rather than big dramatic speeches.
Best for
viewers who like survival journeys and endurance stories
fans of Peter Weir’s restrained, classical filmmaking
people drawn to WWII-era historical dramas with a travel-quest structure
audiences who appreciate bleak but hopeful adventure films
Skip if
you want fast pacing or constant action
you prefer emotionally expansive, character-heavy ensemble drama
you’re not in the mood for grim suffering and long stretches of walking
you want a more conventional war film or escape thriller
Overview
Peter Weir makes a harsh survival story feel almost mythic without ever turning it into a triumphal adventure. The film’s power comes from accumulation: cold, hunger, exhaustion, and the sheer scale of the journey. It is less about clever escape mechanics than about what it costs to keep moving when stopping means death.
Worth noting
The cast is solid, with Ed Harris giving the film a weathered moral center and the younger performers adding fragility and urgency. Weir’s eye for terrain and physical ordeal is the real star here; the landscapes are beautiful, but never romanticized. The movie understands that freedom can look like one more impossible mile.
Bottom line
It can feel long, and some characters blur together in the early stretch, but the film’s patience is part of the point. If you respond to disciplined, human-scale epics that value endurance over spectacle, this is an absorbing watch.
Top Letterboxd reviews
David Sims (3.5★) · 497 likes
every time you think these guys are gonna stop walking they are like "eh let's walk like another thousand miles"
Grooveman (3★) · 366 likes
I haven't felt this guilty eating pizza and drinking beer while watching a film since Steve McQueen's Hunger.
Diego Tutweiller (3.5★) · 228 likes
I thought this was gonna be about the zany misadventures of some kids at a water park.
FilmApe (4.5★) · 179 likes
A movie about walking, and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking,and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking, and walking.....that is actually a very epic and cinematic experience.
2006 · Action, Drama, History · 2h 18m · R · Curator 6.9/10 (642.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
A relentless chase-and-survival film that turns physical endurance into pure cinematic propulsion.