The Road
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall
Running Time: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: R
Release Date: November 25, 2009
PLOT: Based on the bestseller by Cormac McCarthy, The Road is a post-apocalyptic tale of a man (Mortensen) and his son (Smit-McPhee) trying to survive by any means possible in a world where plants and animals are dead and people are eating people to survive.
WHO'S IT FOR? This is a dark, bleak drama about survival in an awful future. Does it sound like you can get through that? If so, it's worth it. Really good performances and some powerful visuals will be your reward. Clean freaks, be careful.
EXPECTATIONS: I knew I was sitting down to a "quality" movie based on the buzz, but otherwise I really knew nothing about the twists and turns of The Road.
SCORECARD (0-10)
ACTORS: Viggo Mortensen as The Man: He has hope, and you must cling to his hope to get through this film, because otherwise it's a serious downer. His hope is clearly tied to survival, so he can't trust anyone, nor should he considering humans have taken to cannibalism. Mortensen seems to have that rare ability to be a big star, but lose himself in a role. Score: 8
Kodi Smit-McPhee as The Boy: He's got high hopes. He believes in what might be over the next hill. What's impressive is that The Boy is also able to consider suicide because of how awful the world is around him. I wanted his father to do a better job of training him for the future, but that could be because I'm a sucker for training montages. This kid is a good actor though and never takes me out of this world. Score: 7
Charlize Theron as Wife: She's around for the flashbacks. She's despair. I needed more of an understanding on how she saw the world and why she couldn't imagine a future with her family. Score: 4
Robert Duvall as Old Man: It's a good pick me up to see Duvall. I forgot he was in Four Christmases so it felt like years since I've gotten to watch the man act. He's only there for a little bit, but he's a great showcase for both The Boy and The Man to play off of and show where their spirit is on this journey. Score: 7
TALKING: "Keep carrying the fire" and figure out who are the "good guys" are the simple lessons that The Man tries to pass on to his son. There is a good amount of foreshadowing throughout, including, "When you dream about good things you should start to worry." Score: 6
SIGHTS: Everything is gray except those few colorful flashbacks. Many scenes from the film were shot on Mt. St. Helens and in the Pacific Northwest and the future looks horrendously beautiful. The little details are done right as well, just take a look at Mortensen's teeth, you'll see what I mean. Score: 8
SOUNDS: Bleak. Painful. Somber. It's everything you would expect to set the mood of a world in despair. Score: 7
PLOT SPOILERS
BEST SCENE: Not that I want to see it again, but I was totally panicked when they entered the huge house, only to find out what was in the basement.
ENDING: Here's the thing, I found the end of "1984" uplifting because it shows how the human spirit tries to overcome. The Road doesn't quite make it there, but it tries. And yes, that's Guy Pearce.
QUESTIONS: How does this guy possibly allow his wife to just walk into the woods? Didn't Pearce seem a little creepy when he first showed up? I thought the smartest thing to do with have been to shoot him. That would have been awkward. And there were two times when The Man had a chance at easily getting more weapons (a knife, a bow and arrow) yet he didn't take them. That's annoying.
REWATCHABILITY: It would be a tough one to sit through again and you also have to make sure you recommend this movie to the right person. I honestly could see this type of film giving a depressed person a really bad weekend.
OVERALL
Bleakness. You're going to get your fill taking The Road. This is depression made into a movie. Bullets are a luxury, so is a warm fire or a can of Coke. This is a dramatic, slow moving Mad Max with a kid along for the awful ride. With no crops or animals, Mortensen's character must on one hand try to teach his child how to survive and also tell him how to pull the trigger with one of their two remaining bullets. There aren't any social comparisons that can immediately relate to this post-apocalyptic story, unless you're thinking about taking a bite out of the guy sitting next to you. It's a survival tale, and The Road should be seen for those who want to keep carrying the fire.
FINAL SCORE: 7/10