With the films release date around the corner, Summit Entertainment has release this extended preview video (clocking in at almost 4-minutes) for Asger Leth’s heist flick ’Man on a Ledge.’ The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist. Worthington is joined by Elizabeth Banks as a hard-living New York Police Department hostage negotiator, Anthony Mackie as Worthington’s best friend and ally, and Jamie Bell as Worthington’s younger brother and ardent supporter. Edward Burns, Genesis Rodriguez, Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick and Titus Welliver co-star. ‘Man on a Ledge is set for release January 27th in the US and Febuary 3rd in the UK. Check out my interviews for the film here: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, and Jamie Bell.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute. Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while a hard-living NYPD negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk him down. The longer they are on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective. Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), ‘Man on a Ledge’ stars Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Ed Harris. The film is set for release January 27th in the US, and Febuary 3rd in the UK.

I really enjoyed your character in the film, she’s sort of the surragate for the audience?

Elizabeth Banks: Thank you. Yeah, Lydia, she’s an NYPD police officer and negotiator. My job is to get people to not commit suicide, give up guns, give up hostages – essentially resolve situations without death (laughs). But when you first meet my character I’ve lost somebody, in the parlance of the NYPD: somebody went over on me. I lost a jumper who also happened to be a fellow police officer. So, I’m lacking in respect for my colleagues when you first meet me in this movie, I’ve definitely been on a bender, I’m at a real low point in my career. And then when I walk into this situation, which one of the fun things about this situation is that you think you’re running into one thing, but of course your walking into something totally different. That’s what kept me really interested, this is a woman that has to stay on her toes, she’s there to figure out the truth and find out what’s really going on. Also, like you said, she’s sort of acting as a surrogate for the audience, the whole time you’re sitting in the theatre asking, “What the hell is really happening here?” I’m on camera going, “What the hell is really happening here?” (Laughs) We’re learning along with each other what this movie is really about. It’s very thrilling because there’s a lot of layers.

I know you met with a number of people who do this for a living….

Elizabeth Banks: I hope I’m never in that situation (laughs). One of the things that I was taught by the NYPD negotiators is that they have a saying of, “Jumpers jump.” So if you want to kill yourself, you go to the top of the roof and you jump off. You’re not waiting around. If you’re still standing there by the time I get a phone call and get dressed, get in the car, drive up, take the elevator, walk out and start talking to you….hopefully, you don’t really want to kill yourself. But, then if you still jump, it’s my fault. So it’s really devastating when they lose someone because if they’ve actually entered into a negotiation, it’s a game then, it’s a win or lose situation – but losing is life or death. Obviously they don’t want to lose. Luckily it’s very rare when they do lose, but it’s also very devastating for them. I think it’s a true burden to do that job. I would never want somebody’s life in my hands, that responsibility, I don’t know how you live with yourself if you don’t win.

Character wise, what did you learn from being around these negotiators?

Elizabeth Banks: It was really interesting, it was great. It was the first time I’ve played a police officer. I hung out mostly with people off hours. The great thing about the woman I met was that they were kind of girly, they were Mums, they were real women, they didn’t try to hide that fact. They weren’t trying to be men, they were just very practical about what the job is. They were very proud of the job they do. The negotiators, I asked them whether they thought men or women made better negotiators, and of course they all said that women are better at it (laughs). We are empathetic, we are good listeners, we tend to be pretty impassioned talkers as well….it was interesting to hear their thoughts on all those things.

You get to go out on the ledge yourself, what was that like?

Elizabeth Banks: I think one of the great things about ‘Man on the Ledge’ was the filmmakers commitment to shooting the film practically. There’s no green screen involved, we didn’t fake this. I think audiences are very savvy and they would have picked up on that, we really wanted people to feel like they were up there with us, they were getting vertigo, they had the pit in their stomach. And also, Asger Leth (director) was committed to realism, believe me, you cannot fake it when you’re standing out on that ledge (laughs), your body is having a very natural and instinctual reaction to being in such a dangerous position. It wants nothing to do with it (laughs). Your heart is racing, your palms are sweating, the adrenaline is pumping, there’s a sense of anxiety the entire time that you’re standing out there. Hopefully the camera really captured that.

Does that make it easier for you to act or harder?

Elizabeth Banks: It’s good because you don’t have to think about, “Am I selling it?” (Laughs) Believe, it’s being sold, you don’t have to question yourself. It’s also a great reminder to how little it takes, I think, to sell it. The natural reaction is not to over sell it, it’s much smaller, and being up there was a reminder of that. I wasn’t screaming and hollering. That was really fun, it was fun to really learn what I would do in that situation, how I would really act. It was fun to teach myself (laughs).

An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while a hard-living NYPD negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk him down. The longer they are on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective. Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), ‘Man on a Ledge’ stars Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Ed Harris. The film is set for release January 27th in the US, and Febuary 3rd in the UK.

What was it that drew you to play Nick?

Sam Worthington: It was Lorenzo di Bonaventura (producer) actually. I’ve known Lorenzo for along time, I was looking for something to do with him. I love the movies Lorenzo makes, not only ‘Transformers’ and ‘Red,’ but he helped put together ‘The Matrix’ back in the day, his movies with Mark Wahlberg I like. I also like his sense of….that he wants to make movies that entertain an audience, his primary goal is to entertain an audience, give them their moneys worth – and that’s my primary goal as well. So, we kind of found one that I was really interested in, sort of an amalgamation of ‘The Negotiator’ and ‘Phone Booth,’ and they were entertaining movies so I thought lets go ahead and make it.

How was it for you filming on the ledge?

Sam Worthington: It’s weird, it’s not really a vertigo experience, it’s more of a sense of your brain going, “You shouldn’t be here.” I never really got spinney circles….it was like a weird picture. And yeah, you always have a hand on the wall without even thinking about it because your bodies just reacting. Also, the adrenaline up there is so high that by the end of the day you’re exhausted.

Performance wise, does all that adrenaline make it easier to act or harder to act?

Sam Worthington: Your in an authentic situation so I think it definitely adds to the dynamics of the scene. I find it that anything that helps with imaginary circumstances is great. At the end of the day you’re making a movie, but having something that helps to ground it, and being out there on that ledge, it does really help. You can ride the adrenaline, see where it takes you, that’s what I kind of did – rather than contain it. But the journey I had was that he starts off cool, then he ends up crazy. Whereas a normal jumper will be crazy at the start and end up cool and calm. So it was a reverse journey, I just used the adrenaline, especially when we started running around.

What was it like working with Elizabeth Banks? You two have this great chemistry where there’s flirting and there’s manipulation, there’s all these levels constantly changing.

Sam Worthington: I really like Elizabeth, I’d watched all her movies where she’s funny, and I’d seen her on ‘30 Rock.’ But then I saw her in ‘The Next Three Days’ with Russell Crowe. I thought that was a sensational performance. Then when you join the two, you have someone who has gravity and grit, but then also has a sarcastic whit, you know that you can throw anything at her and she’s gonna bounce it each way. That’s a formidable actress.

Was there a lot of improvisation, or was it mostly scripted?

Sam Worthington: It was pretty much scripted. We had a lot of chats beforehand, me and her, about where we wanted to take it. When it comes to it, even though you’ve got a lot of this craziness happening and desperation in a dire situation, we wanted it that….in reality, people would start laughing with each other, joke around, flirt, it’s inherent to do that, especially in a pressurised situation. It takes your mind off the desperation.

You’ve also got ‘Wrath of the Titans’ coming up in a few months?

Sam Worthington: ‘Wrath of the Titans’ comes out in March, which I’m really really excited about. I saw it and I think it’s awesome. I think Jonathan Liebesman (director) is a genius (laughs). He’s took what we did from the first one and bent it a bit, put his own stamp on it. He created something really cool. Personally, I didn’t like my performance in the first film, I don’t think I satisfied the audience as much as I wanted to. So to get a second chance, it’s very exciting and it’s a great opportunity. We really looked at Perseus as a hero and thought, “What makes a hero?” And then what was the slant and edge we wanted to put on that, rather than it being just a generic action conduit of a person.

An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while a hard-living NYPD negotiator (Elizabeth Banks) tries to talk him down. The longer they are on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective. Directed by Asger Leth (Ghosts of Cité Soleil), ‘Man on a Ledge’ stars Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Genesis Rodriguez, Kyra Sedgwick, and Ed Harris. The film is set for release January 27th in the US, and Febuary 3rd in the UK. Look out for a more in-depth interview with Jamie Bell and the rest of the cast closer to the films release date.

Your character and Genesis Rodriguez’s character add a lot of layers to the tension and suspense in the story.

Jamie Bell: Yeah. Joey, he’s the brother of Sam Worthington’s character. He’s a guy who has kind of dedicated his life to helping his brother, that’s the first and foremost thing in his mind. It’s the motivation for this relationship he has with this girl, his family life, his academic life….whatever it is, it has been completely consumed by his brother and what he needs to do for his brother. He’s referred to as a little bit of a screw-up, someone who necessarily isn’t all together. He’s a guy with some loose ends (laughs), lets say that.

His relationship with Angie, they have a very frenetic relationship. I believe it is grounded in love and admiration for one another. But they go on this heist to prove Nick’s innocence basically, and some of their flurries of relationship trauma kinda comes out at the wrong times (laughs), in the wrong moments. Joey’s a great character to play, he’s certainly a lot of fun. For me and Genesis Rodriguez, who plays Angie, it’s really the suspense, the fun and the action of the film that happens once Nick is on the ledge. The physical stuff was fun, it provides a relief from the very intense story stuff that’s happening with Nick.

I really enjoyed how the “comms” headsets come into play in this film.

Jamie Bell: The comms are essentially another character in the film, they’re the vital link between what’s going down and the next step. I’m constantly ahead, Nick is always kind of a step behind what’s happening, so I’m constantly having to relay information. I remember in the rehearsal period we were always trying to manifest scenes and dialogue that would be very clear for one context, then also very clear for another context – in Nick’s conversations with Lydia, then the cryptic messages to me. You can add so much tension through the comms, they may not be working, there could be interference, suddenly it’s really loud all of a sudden….we played with all of that kind of stuff, which I think really enables a lot.

The delivery of information is so important. Too often in thrillers, suspense-thrillers, when information is given to you, the right reaction is, “Wow, I had no idea,” or, “That totally through me for a loop,” or, “They got me.” Too often it isn’t that reaction. So I think in terms of the screenplay, we had to make sure that information is delivered in the precise way, so you do have that reaction.

A lot of questions are raised with Nick.

Jamie Bell: Oh yeah, there’s a lot of questions with Nick; who is he? Has he lost his mind? Has he lost the will to live? Has he lost touch with reality? His relatives don’t even recognise him. He’s getting into fights at their fathers funeral. The device of the set-up in the film, I really believe that tries to make you second guess Nick’s motivations and what he’s doing. I genuinely believe that by the time he’s out on the ledge and everything’s set-up, you still want to be asking the question of, “Is he gonna jump? Is he a bad guy? What’s he doing there?” So playing that and getting that right was kind of complicated.

Ed Harris plays the classic sinister villain?

Jamie Bell: He represents evil, in all kinds of different various forms…..wealth, capitalism, thievery, guilt, all these things that are great themes. Ed Harris plays him brilliantly because he’s right on the edge of the fact that you kind of like him, he has a great first scene, one of the best scenes in the film I think. And he played him straight down the line,, totally believable. I really enjoyed my scene with him, the character is the root of this problem, and my character thrives on the idea that when he completes this, there will be a possibility that they will meet – and he will sort some stuff out.

Summit Entertainment has unveiled these seven new clips from Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) upcoming heist flick ’Man on a Ledge.’ The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist. Worthington is joined by Elizabeth Banks as a hard-living New York Police Department hostage negotiator, Anthony Mackie as Worthington’s best friend and ally, and Jamie Bell as Worthington’s younger brother and ardent supporter. Edward Burns, Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick and Titus Welliver co-star. ’Man on a Ledge’ is set for release January 13th in the US, and January 25th in the UK.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute. Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

Empire has unveiled this new international poster for Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) upcoming heist flick ’Man on a Ledge.’ The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist. Worthington is joined by Elizabeth Banks as a hard-living New York Police Department hostage negotiator, Anthony Mackie as Worthington’s best friend and ally, and Jamie Bell as Worthington’s younger brother and ardent supporter. Edward Burns, Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick and Titus Welliver co-star. ’Man on a Ledge’ is set for release January 13th in the US, and January 25th in the UK.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute. Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

Summit Entertainment have unveiled this enjoyable yet slightly spoilery trailer for Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) upcoming heist flick ’Man on a Ledge.’ The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist. Worthington is joined by Elizabeth Banks as a hard-living New York Police Department hostage negotiator, Anthony Mackie as Worthington’s best friend and ally, and Jamie Bell as Worthington’s younger brother and ardent supporter. Edward Burns, Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick and Titus Welliver co-star.  ’Man on a Ledge’ is set for release January 13th.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute. Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

Summit Entertainment have unveiled this debut poster for Asger Leth’s (Ghosts of Cité Soleil) upcoming heist flick ’Man on a Ledge.’ The film centers on an ex-cop (Sam Worthington) convicted of a crime he didn’t commit who stands on the ledge of a Manhattan building, threatening to kill himself.  However, unbeknownst to the cops on the scene, what appears to be a suicide attempt is in fact a cover for a massive diamond heist. Worthington is joined by Elizabeth Banks as a hard-living New York Police Department hostage negotiator, Anthony Mackie as Worthington’s best friend and ally, and Jamie Bell as Worthington’s younger brother and ardent supporter. Edward Burns, Ed Harris, Kyra Sedgwick and Titus Welliver co-star. Check out the synopsis below.

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) was an honest cop. Now he’s in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Desperate, he seizes the first chance to escape. Hours later, he is freshly shaven in an expensive suit, standing on a window ledge high above New York City. As a crowd gathers below, police cordon off the area and agree to Nick’s request to speak with pretty police negotiator Lydia Anderson (Elizabeth Banks). But Lydia doesn’t know that she is part of his grand plan, a plan that could give them both a second chance.

Speaking quietly into a lapel microphone, Nick coordinates the high-tech theft of a $30 million diamond—the same diamond he was convicted of stealing. It’s the only way he can prove his innocence, but he needs Lydia’s help—and he’s running out of time. When his identity is exposed, a SWAT team positions itself on the roof, read to take him out.  Lydia isn’t sure he’s telling the truth, but if he really was set up for the diamond heist, it had to be an inside job, which means at least one of the cops on the scene wants Nick dead. With SWAT about to move, cops destroying the evidence that could save him and nowhere to go but down, Nick’s chances of survival are getting slimmer by the minute. Filled with clever twists, Man on a Ledge is a smart, pulse-pounding thriller about a man determined to clear his name, exact revenge and get the girl…if he can just stay one step ahead of the men who put him behind bars.

‘The Way Back’ is Peter Weir’s awe-inspiring epic inspired by the true events of a group of escaped prisoners from a Siberian gulag in 1940. The film is based on several sources, most notably the Slavomir Rawicz book ‘The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom’. The book is Rawicz’s account of being captured by the Red Army in 1939 and his journey to freedom with other inmates, who crossed the Siberian arctic, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, before finally settling in Tibet and India. The film features a fantastic cast in Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong and Saoirse Ronan. Check out what Colin Farrell had to say about the film below.

I read that you didn’t see Valka as the character you necessarily wanted to play. Was it easy to research where this guy came from?

Colin Farrell: From reading the script I saw Valka as a big stretch. It was something that was incredibly disparate to anything I’d approached before. I had no relationship to that time in history, or that country, so I knew it’d be a journey of discovery, and that’s exactly what it proved to be.

To be honest Valka was one of my least favourite characters to play. I felt very sad, he’s a very lonely fella, but he’s also somebody who’s at once a victim of and a huge proponent of the system which formed him. I found that really, really interesting.

The tattoos Valka sports in the film are a big part of his character…

Colin Farrell: There’s an incredible, incredible significance to every single drop of ink that appears on any of these men’s bodies, much more so than the couple of drunk markings I have on my body (laughs). But each single tattoo referenced either a crime committed or an amount of time done. Again, it was just something that was very foreign to me, that was very exotic, as was the accent and the language.

Valka does this spectacular turnaround at the border post and goes into the distance. This might be a bit of a tough question, but did you ever posit what might have happened to him afterwards?

Colin Farrell: Absolutely yeah. It just kept coming to me that he died in the first town he made it to. That he died in a tavern, got stabbed in a tavern.

Do you think he had a death wish in the end?

Colin Farrell: No not at all. I mean how deep do you want to get into his conscious life and his behaviour and what he was inspired by? Nature, nurture, all that jazz. He certainly didn’t have a……a joie de vivre. The world of the Gulag made great sense to him, it was something that he could exist within the confines of, or as he would imagine it the liberty of, the outside world was the world that didn’t make sense to him.

What were the main challenges of the shoot for you?

Colin Farrell: I didn’t have to deal with the heat, it was just freezing cold in Bulgaria. We were there right in the middle of winter. The whole city (Sofia) was covered in two or three feet of snow. We started off shooting in the Gulag which they built to extremely painful detail, it was just stunning-looking, but incredibly harsh and incredibly foreboding. The environment certainly did a lot of work for you.

At moments it smashed the line between reality and fiction, and I say that with ABSOLUTE respect for the level of comfort that we still worked within, but sometimes there were moments where the line between reality and fiction was smashed, and that was where you are literally trying to get through what you’re trying to get through, to the best of your ability, without being conscious of anyone observing. A heater and a cup of tea was always within walking distance but it was very harsh.

I found the inaction, or seeming inaction hard. There were days on end where you had nothing to do but walk, and to stay focused and to stay close to whatever you deemed was your character’s gait, your character’s thoughts. This was actually an exercise in the patience of just ‘being’. It was interesting.

The Way Back is in cinemas now!

This new poster has been released online for Peter Weir’s wonderful looking ‘The Way Back’ via IMPA. I’ve been sold on this film ever since it was announced. From what I’ve seen it looks like after five Oscar nominations Peter Weir (Master And Commander, The Truman Show, Witness) may be in the running again to bring home that faceless gold man. The cast he has assembled is stellar in Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Mark Strong and Saoirse Ronan. I’ve got a screening for this tomorrow and I can’t wait! The Way Back is set for release December 26th.

The Way Back is the fact-based story of the escape of soldiers from a Siberian gulag in 1940. It is based on several sources, most notably the Slavomir Rawicz book The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom. The book is Rawicz’s account of being captured by the Red Army in 1939 and his journey to freedom with other inmates. The group crossed the Siberian arctic, the Gobi desert and the Himalayas, finally settling in Tibet and India.