Title: The Road
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Director: John Hillcoat
Actors: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce
Filmmakers basing movies around the end of the world is nothing new. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Terminator series, The Omega Man, Armageddon, 2012…the list goes on and on. While every film puts its own unique take on Earth’s final days, they all seem to dwell in the realm of the fantastic – that is, every film portrays circumstances and events completely contrasted from our present world.
What am I coyly hinting at? Well, this movie is bleak. I mean, a wrist-slitter after a Requiem for a Dream marathon, bleak. The cinematography is a canvas of only greys and browns, and the content isn’t much brighter. The Road is a story of a father and son wandering across the United States in search of the coast, and hopefully, some sort of safe haven. Pretty much everything was annihilated during the apocalypse, so in a world without plants and animals, food is the ultimate scarcity, and cannibalism is a common danger. Probably not what you would call a ‘feel good’ flick.
While there are a few ‘big names’ in this film, their roles are minor and fleeting. The movie is almost a two-person performance in its entirety, with fantastic acting by Viggo Mortensen and newcomer, Kodi Smit-McPhee. I normally loathe children in movies, but Kodi did an amazing job and deserves my temporary non-hatred. Spend it wisely, young one.
As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, I loved this movie. You definitely have to know what you’re signing up for, but for those who can endure a fairly depressing near-two hours, it offers all sorts of rewards for the patient viewer.