The Road (2009)

Directed by: John Hillcoat

Written By: Cormac McCarthy (novel), Joe Penhall (adaptation)

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce

Review:

This movie was dead when I saw it two days before Christmas.  I can completely understand why.  The Road is not your typical holiday cheery film that movie goers latch onto.  It is a film that I had been looking forward to seeing forward to seeing.  After seeing it I must admit I was let down by film as a whole.  Do not get me wrong, there are many great attributes that make this film endearing and powerful but at the same time I did not feel that the film felt complete for one primary reason, pacing.  I liked the film, just not as much as I thought I would initially have loved it.

Before I get ahead of myself by saying what I do not like I will lfocus on the positive of this movie.  Viggo Mortenson is a fabulous actor and The Road is a prime example of the lenghts that he will go to embody the character.  The scruffy beard caked with dirt, the emaciated body that is skin and bones, the tired and weary look in his eyes are all reasons why Viggo is not only an A list actor but a strong character actor as well.  This is something that not many actors can successfully pull off, but Viggo does it with style and grace.

The costumes were well done and are extensions of the characters themselves to an extent.  The torn and tattered clothing, shoes kept together with duct tape are all strong parts of the film.

The Road transports the audience into the bleak world after a nuclear war has wiped out the entire population and the remaining survivors are fighting for their lives against the elements of the environment and the cannibals the roam the roads looking for survivors to feast on.  Viggo Mortenson and his son are traveling south in hopes of finding shelter and warmth.  The Road is follows them on their journey to survive.

The film was advertised poorly.  Charlize Theron was not in the film that much which was a little misleading.  I cannot fault the decision since Charlize Theron is also an A list actor.  I also wish this could have been released earlier so that it could have had a wider release in theaters before the holidays.

As I mentioned my main gripe about this film is pacing.  It is a very slow and methodical story with lots of flash backs which I did not feel were necessary.  I felt that these scenes dragged the movie down and effected the pacing and flow.  This is not a huge deal, just one of my pet peeves.  The good outweigh the bad aspects of The Road, making it a worthwhile film to see.  This may be something you should consider catching on DVD.