Based on Cormac McCarthy's book, The Road is a dreary story
about a father and son trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world.
Why the world is the way it is is never explained and none of the
characters have names. The father, played by Viggo Mortensen in one of his best performances, is credited only as Man. The son (Kodi
Smit-McPhee) is just Boy. This is a dark, brutal picture that carries
an overall sense of doom and rawness.
Through the use of
flashbacks we see the life the Man had before the Apocalypse and the
struggles he and his wife (Charlize Theron) went through when the world
started to fall apart the day their son was born. She couldn't handle
being locked inside and wanted to end all their lives early on instead
of fighting. The Man wouldn't allow that to happen, having faith things
would return to normal at some point. They never did and years later
the Woman finally leaves, disappearing into the darkness one night.
Father and son hit the road and head toward the sea, believing they
will find some sort of salvation there.
Wary of other
survivors, most of which have turned violent and cannibalistic since
food and water are scarce, the Man avoids being seen and carries a gun
with two bullets -- one for the Boy and one for him. This is so they
can kill themselves and not die by the hands of others if they are
caught. While they walk we see dead trees, abandoned cars, skulls on
sticks, and sweeping fields of fire. They have nothing worth living for
except the love they have for each other.
Director John Hillcoat, whose last film was the 2005 Nick Cave-penned The Proposition,
does something a lot of directors are scared to do these days and
that's allow long stretches of silence. These moments are intense and
haunting and will eat at you. Hillcoat is also honest with the audience
and shows the struggle the Man has with whether it's better for him and
the Boy to live or die. Mortensen plays the part perfectly and it
invokes many anxieties in the viewer.
Whether The Road
is as good as the book I can't say. Like No Country For Old Men though
the material makes for an excellent cinema experience and one I can
safely recommend.
**** out of 5 stars
Rated R
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi
Smit-McPhee
Directed by: John Hillcoat
Official Site IMDb
brian.mckechnie@citynews.rogers.com
ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Old Dogs, New York I Love You, The Headless Woman, Ninja Assassin
Top image: A scene from The Road. Courtesy Alliance Films.