John Hillcoat’s (Lawless, The Proposition) The Road is the best film adaptation of a Cormac McCarthy novel. Yes, I know that this means I preferred The Road over 2007’s Academy Award-winning Best Picture No Country For Old Men. The Road is a good adaptation of McCarthy’s novel, though not a great one. The novel, with the same name, presents a desolate 2929 America where nomadic tribes scour the earth, looking for any signs of life that would allow them to sustain existence. With the animals and vegetation extinct, cannibalism is alive and prevalent, though the number of people inhabiting the earth dwindles yearly.

At the heart of the story are a father, known as “The Man,” played by Viggo Mortenson (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence), and his son, simply known as “The Boy” played by Kodi-Smit-McPhee (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Let Me In). The Boy is The Man’s reason for living. The post-apocalyptic landscape has been enough to doom almost all of society. Murder and rape have become rampant. The rouge gangs do what they want. The innocent feel that they are without options. Life fails to have meaning, and, as a result, many have committed suicide. The Man and The Boy travel south, towards the southeast coast, with the faintest of hope that they will find refuge. Along the way, they will see the absolute worst mankind has to offer.

The movie is dismal and gritty. There is nothing glamorous about The Road. Nothing is embellished. If you are looking for the “feel good” movie of 2009, this certainly is not it. For many, it will prove to be too difficult of a watch. To me, it felt how someone might imagine walking through hell might feel. Hope has been eliminated. The struggle for safety, shelter, and food is always at the forefront. Knowing that any number of factors (the outlaws, starvation, sickness, etc.) could doom the duo at any time, The Man does what he can to protect his son first and himself second. This includes teaching the boy how to kill himself with their handgun if the situation calls for it. The life lessons are at the forefront of the movie. The Man’s constant reminders to his son, such as “I won’t be around forever,” might be no so subtle hints at foreshadowing. Or it’s his way of saying that he is much older than The Boy, and eventually, The Boy will be left by himself (even if it is because The Man dies of old age). Whatever his reasons are, he certainly lives for The Boy’s survival.

Mortensen is at the top of his game in this movie. He was the ideal choice to play the role of The Man. Smit-McPhee held his own with this screen giant. In each scene (except for the flashbacks), Mortensen and Smit-McPhee were on the screen simultaneously. Their chemistry was excellent. For the most part, Smit-McPhee has a great future in Hollywood, and Mortensen keeps improving. Add in cameo appearances from Charlize Theron (Monster, North Country), Robert Duvall (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather), Michael K. Williams (television’s The Wire), and Guy Pearce (Memento, Lawless), and you have an all-star cast.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 10/10
Directing  9.5/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 9.5/10
Universal Relevance 9/10
93.5%

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