The Way Back Review: 5 Ups & 2 Downs

1. Side Characters Could've Used More Development

Since the film serves as a dedicated character study to Jack, many of the side characters are left feeling undercooked. While it was likely a creative decision made to reduce any abundance of subplots or distractions from the central focus, more development of these other key figures would've helped add some depth to the rest of this film's setting.

Credit where it's due, The Way Back, like much of its storytelling, utilizes a very efficient means of delivering information to the audience without taking up much runtime. An overly cocky player is cocky, but then in a single scene, he reveals that things aren't too great at home and he's far more dedicated to the team than his blasé attitude will have you believe.

It would've been nice to see how members of the team interact and how their dynamic improved as they start racking up wins. Jack has some long-time friends who go through a terrible loss, but you don't really get the chance to get to know them or get the post-loss talk. For a movie that had plenty of effective components, these hypothetical moments could've given it more emotional heft.

And now let's dig into what makes The Way Back a success...