The Way Back

IMDb Rating

last updated: 2024-10-25Update data

Commonsensemedia Rating

last updated: 2024-10-25Update data

The characters may be prisoners (and some of them do seem violent and dangerous), but they quickly learn to work together, help each other, and trust each other to overcome their nearly impossible challenges. There are plenty of examples of teamwork and empathy here.

Main character Janusz is the strongest role model. At one point, another character warns that "kindness can kill him," but Janusz proves that he can hang onto his humanity and his kindness in the most trying of circumstances. He'll risk his own safety to help others, and his example inspires the others. Plenty of sharing and working together to overcome the odds.

Disturbing imagery relating to both prison and wilderness survival. Characters are starving and thirsty, exhausted and dirty. Teeth fall out, feet are bleeding and/or swollen, and characters get sunstroke. Other brief violence involves a stabbing with a knife and some blood. A character freezes to death. There's a spoken story about a main character strangling a boy.

Very brief but strong sexual imagery. One of the prisoners makes drawings of naked women in various poses and trades them for supplies.

Language is infrequent but includes more than one use of "f--k," plus sparing use of "s--t," "damn," and "ass."

Characters trade cigarettes in prison, but there's little actual smoking. In one scene, characters share a bottle of vodka around a campfire.

Dove Rating

None

Drawing of nude woman on all fours and breasts revealed; man makes a gesture of masturbating when he looks at picture.

F-2; S-1; D-4 (Includes a "Da*n you" curse); A-2

A man is stabbed and blood is seen on hands; a man says he killed in the past but it was only a dog; two men struggle with one another and almost fight; a conversation about killing in cold blood; gun held on character; armed guards are seen; a knife is held to a character's throat; a woman is snagged by barbed wire; a group of the dead are seen; a character tosses a knife up and down while walking; a person shoots a rifle in an archived clip.

Several scenes of cigarette smoking; a character drinks.

Nude drawing of a woman which includes exposed breasts; a couple of shirtless men are seen.

Japanese are called "Japs" (historically accurate in reference to the war); a jump scene of suddenly flying birds; disrespect shown by some characters; the hardships of war.