Writers: Emilio Estevez (written for the screen by), Jack Hitt (book)
Cast Of Characters:
Martin Sheen … Tom
Emilio Estevez …Daniel
Deborah Kara Unger … Sarah
Yorick van Wageningen … Joost
James Nesbitt … Jack
Romy Baskerville … Eunice
Renée Estevez … Doreen
David Alexanian … Roger
William Holden … Cal
Spencer Garrett … Phil
Joe Torrenueva … Father Sandoval
Tchéky Karyo … Captain Henri
Stéphane Dausse … French Mortician
Ángela Molina … Angelica (as Angela Molina)
Simón Andreu … Don Santiago
Storyline: “The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honour his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his “California Bubble Life”. Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On his journey, Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen)… Written by The Way
A father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the “El Camino de Santiago,” and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.
DVD Archive Review: In all honesty, when we received “The Way” from ‘Gambit’, the mere suggestion that it was going to be a drawn out spiritual film that would attempt the viewer to convert their religion came to the surface like a scuba diver without an oxygen tank. This of course changed as soon as we sat down to watch it, and it was what we saw on the screen which had us glued all the way to the end.
We remember Emilio Estevez from “Young Guns” and “The Breakfast Club”, so the whole surprise in this change of angle in a first time Directorial Film brought the thoughts of afore mentioned beliefs to being discarded. The more that we watched of this film, the more we were wondering where Emilio could have acquired this ground breaking idea of putting into pictures the feelings, emotions, laughter and tears of such a simplistic storyline.
The Way is most certainly a very powerful story that tells the story of Family importance, the way in which we sometimes take our relationships with family members for granted and that we allow ourselves to believe that the way in which they live their lives is a far distant pass from our own. The whole plot setting of this film takes on a whole new level of mellow drama pit-falls, twists, turns and even conclusions within the storyline itself. The casting is as solid and as perfect as you could ever expect a film of this kind to be, including the inclusion of (Tchéky Karyo) Captain Henri, the Police Officer who is not only sympathetic to Tom’s huge family loss, but is a perfect pace setter to the start of this epic journey which Tom now embarks on – The El Camino de Santiago walk.
We see Tom (Martin Sheen) change from this private person who has a professional job back home in the States, to this secluded, inspired and persistent Father whose relationship with his illusive son breaks down the real emotional charge which drive’s his determination into a whole new realm of openness. Sharing his feelings, his past, his present and in some respects his future with the outcome of the walk with fellow walkers. With integrated scenes of seeing his son, it is not with an ounce of over exaggeration, nor is it over the top SFX saturated to the point where the viewer gets tired, or believes the story is spoilt.
The introductions of the other lead cast, Joost (Yorick van Wageningen) who is the man from Amsterdam, Sarah (Deborah Kara Unger), the woman with a very deepened scar of emotion, and, of course, Jack (James Nesbit) the Writer with Writer’s Block. All of these people who have been thrown together, almost as if by some majestic fate had been involved has this film set to become a classic in its own right. Throughout the two hour film we are sure that the viewer will be mesmerised by the breath-taking backdrop landscapes, the situations and positions that these Trekkers are confronted with, and relieved by the relaxed, sustainable and invigorating flow of the storyline right up to the very end. With this said, it would be interesting to know exactly how many viewers – like us – actually hit the search engines to look up “The El Camino de Santiago walk”.
If it is a change from the normal evening of battle worn destruction, alien infested colonial worlds and slash, gore, horror intervals of blood and guts flying here, there and everywhere, then “The Way” is definitely that refreshing change.
Filming Locations: Burgos’s Cathedral, Burgos, Castilla y León, Spain
Box Office:
Opening Weekend: $193,552 (Spain) (19 November 2010) (59 Screens)
Gross: $9,158,000 (Worldwide) (August 2012)
Production Co: Icon Entertainment International, Elixir Films, Filmax Entertainment
Trivia
Tyler Bates, who does the music in the film, had previously been the composer for Rated X, which was also directed by Emilio Estevez.
Quotes
Daniel: You don’t choose a life, dad. You live one.
The Way 2010 (Official Theatrical Trailer)
***Note: We would like to express our appreciation of The IMDB, for their insight, information and help in completing our Reviews, which without, we would be less able to bring much of The DVD Archive Information to our readers.
Piggy, admittedly passed its way across our desk for one reason – Martin Compston and his ability to act in the best possible way. This is our way of saying “Yes, we do look at the benefits of other upcoming actors and actresses”, and as such we have to bring to everyone’s attention this Raw, Gritty and very Violently Passionate film of the extent in which one man will go through to “Avenge” the death of his brother. But, as well as this, we have to point out that if this film could have received a 21 Certificate, then without a doubt it would have.
Here is the Storyline of PIGGY: London, modern-day: Joe, a mild-mannered young man is bored by his life. When his beloved brother is murdered Joe finds solace in Piggy, one of his brother’s old friends. Piggy helps Joe to cope with grief, intent on saving him and helping him get justice for his brother’s killing. As their friendship grows Joe finds himself in an increasing dangerous and murky world of violence and revenge. As Joe’s life collapses around him he starts to question who Piggy really is, and how honest he’s really been with him. When Joe confronts Piggy a series of events are put in place that lead to a disastrous climax. Written by Anonymous.
Our Review: The great days and nights of going out for a social drink with family and friends is well and truly over, as Joe and his brother sit drinking in a London pub with their friends, while around them are those who are more for the other side of life’s miseries. When Joe’s brother is singled out and murdered by a London wannabe-gangster gang, he is sent spiralling through a hole on the darkside of life that is not the Rabbit Hole to Kansas.
When Joe is befriended by Piggy, an old family friend of his late brother, the two help even the score and bring balance to the scales of justice which saw Joe’s brother being murdered in cold blood on the streets. For this, only Piggy can show Joe the way to break free from his secluded shell in which he lives day by day. Only by acting upon the hurt and heartbreak of losing the only one friend and brother he loved can Joe move on from the pain. And only by following Piggy through the chasms of vengeance can Joe find his way back to a world where he can choose the direction in which to continue a normal life…
Piggy is an “Ultra-Violent” movie that has to be watched to understand the premise and the reasons behind the seeking of vengeance, not being half watched and judged on the blood, gore and violence that make up the half measure of this man’s torment and loss of insight into why the police seem to be failing him and his brother’s girlfriend in finding the killer’s. The road it would seem is as tainted and dark as any other road that a person would walk when faced with death, except, with the introduction of Piggy, the path that Joe walks is with company and drive to fulfill only that which anger shouts out in the heat of the moment.
The extreme graphical violence which is given out during this film can in most cases make the skin crawl, the stomach churn, and we reckon at some points where the realistic views of cutting, stabbing and stomping into pulp a man’s head, could well result in the very contents of anyone’s stomach leaving their body via the mouth – it really is that graphic. But, saying this, there are plenty of other films out there in the USA, Brazil, China and even Australia, where the “Ultra-Violence” styles are made to see just how long a viewer can keep their chicken fried rice, Mexican Salsa or their King Prawns down for, before they are overcome with the urge to excuse themselves long before the end credits start to roll.
Piggy is a British made gritty movie with a genuine bloody plot and sub-plot that will have the viewer in complete awe through the 106 minutes that it runs for. By the end of the credits, it will be support for one of the main casting character’s, but certainly not both together, as it continues to go from dark to darker with the storyline itself.
The DVD Archive Rating: 8/10
A more in-depth review of this film will follow soon on its own page, until then, we give you the Official Trailer. And a word to the wise is that this is not a “Chick Flick”, nor a film to sit snuggled up with your girlfriend or boyfriend, this is British Grit at its highest…You have been warned.
136 min – Action | Adventure | Crime |Thriller
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