The Way - La route ensemble

This is surely Emilio Estevez's Masterwork, in the same way as was Costner's "Dances with Wolves". It is "The Quiet Epic"! The movie didn't require; Noise, CGI, Foul Language or Special Effects - all that it needed and got were; Across the Board Top Class Acting Performances and Brilliant Cinematography.

Although, no longer a spring chicken, I spent over 2 hours completely engrossed in this film, alternating between tears and laughter. I found it was a movie made with such loving care that it encouraged, and enabled me, to share their experience and make my own life journey with them. My own emotions and life history became intermingled with theirs. I feel it was Emilio's intention for us all to take "Our Own Way".

My main sadness is that so many people will be unable to see it at cinemas, as it has only been given a single weeks run to facilitate the usual glut of "So called Blockbusters". Movies like The Way need time to breathe, as "Word of Mouth" is the key to expanding Audience figures and the wider appreciation such a work deserves..

... my sons way. Emilio Estevez has shown on numerous occasions, that he seems to be the more sensible one. Then again comparing him to Charlie Sheen (and his recent outbursts nonetheless) would be unfair to his brother. And while Martin Sheen also took on another surname to make it in Hollywood (Charlie and Martin succeeded), Emilio chose to keep his name, even though it may have blocked some doors for him.

For this movie he reunites with his father (not the first time he's directing him, but the toughest shoot he put him through yet). It's a very personal story about loss and finding one's way. The title is apt then and the journey ahead of the characters may be long, but also very insightful. Great acting and great locations make this a movie that will make you sentimental for sure.

In this "feel good" movie, Martin Sheen is the principal actor. Emilio Estevez has written, produced, and directed a magnificent film.

The star of this film is "El Camino de Santiago", a 600 kilometer pilgrimage trail from France, down in and through the N. of Spain.

The plot reveals why Martin Sheen feels he must attempt to complete this pilgrimage. Destitute with sorrow he initially shuns companionship along the trail. Circumstances will reveal how he eventually befriends 3 fellow travelers. One actually gets the feeling that this long journey is a joyful experience. The last scene in this movie reveals the entire theme of the movie.

Superb photography within Spain and France, the music reveals itself as it identifies with the visuals. A "must see".

This movie exceeded all expectations, which were already very high. All kudos to Emilio Estevez for an excellent screenplay and superb direction. The photography, too, was wonderful. I think this will go down as one of Martin Sheen's best ever performances. He underplays his role (due to Emilio's direction?) which makes it all the stronger. In fact, it's the understated quality of the whole film that makes it very moving. It never descends into sentimentality but you still feel the grief of Martin Sheen's character as he makes the pilgrimage his estranged dead son never completed. At the same time, there are a lot of funny moments, which lift it from becoming a depressing journey. The gradual coalescing of the four very different main characters into a unified group works very well. Each of them has a different reason for making the pilgrimage and, to begin with, they seem to have nothing in common, but it's still very believable when they start to relate to each other. Emilio and his father Martin have every reason to be very proud of this film. It works on every level.

This carefully written road movie drama was directed by Emilio Estevez, who used traditional footage, and laid out the story over a compelling soundtrack with artists such as Tyler Bates, James Taylor and Nick Drake. In brief, we're following Martin Sheen's character Tom during his pilgrimage journey whilst mourning his dead son who died on the same pilgrim route after only one day. Tom meets people along the way who also become his friends, although Tom himself is uninviting. In contrast to the other characters Tom develops throughout the film and goes through the various stages of mourning that come with a great loss such as he suffered. Except from the usual message that people spend too little time reflecting over their life's I think "The Way" makes a good job of describing the strong bond between father and son, and at the same time highlight some problems with that relationship. Some scenes are obviously there to hammer in those two messages and the film would have been even better had they been made more subtle. I do recommend watching this film, and I think it shows that Emilio Estevez' directing skills don't just pertain to "Bobby".