Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi-Smit McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, and Guy Pearce
Runtime: 111 Minutes
Rating: 4.2 out of 5
My Synopsis: About a father and son who journey across a post-apocalyptic wasteland America, which was destoryed by an unknown cataclysm. The goal: head south. Simple as that.
Review: "The Road" is not a movie for everyone. It's dark, it's depressing, it's slow. It's also one of the most engaging, emotional, well-acted films of the year. The movie opens with The Father (excellently played by Viggo Mortensen, should have at least got an oscar nom. for this role) waking up one night to see that the world outside is engulfed in flames, so he runs a bath for the water that he and his wife (Charlize Theron) are going to need later. Flashforward to present day... From there on, you have no idea what is gonna happen. That's the suspenseful part about it. You don't know who or what is gonna come or if it's good or bad. The duo are pretty much the only good people left in the world, while everyone else has turned to cannibalism and lost their humanity. The movie shows a deep connection of a father's love for his only son and the limits he is pushed to to protect him from anything at all costs. Throughout the film, it shows how much he loves his boy, but also starts slowly losing his mind day by day. And here's where some people complain about Kodi-Smit McPhee's acting, that he whines too much to his dad about his not-so-good choices, but the way I see it and to the best of my knowledge, he was reminding his father that they are still good people and not to go through with it... You'll see what I mean when you watch the film, I can't explain it in words. The Road also consists of flashbacks with the wife in the first 30 minutes or so, until something happens obviously, as she is not with them in the present day (be ready for that certain scene cause it is one of the most heart-breaking scenes I've seen in a while). The movie is very slow-paced, which I didn't mind at all as I was too distracted by Mr. Mortensen's phenomenal acting, as well as Smit-McPhee and Charlize Theron. Viggo Mortensen just gets better and better with each role he is casted. This is my favorite role he's done so far! His range of character in this film is everywhere! You really feel for him, as he just wants to keep his son out of harms way, teaching him to defend himself and make choices on his own cause "he won't be around forever," as the father says. Kodi-Smit McPhee is a new-comer and I can already see he has a good future in film. Charlize Theron is great as always and captures the mood of their situation, as she has lost her mind and treats Viggo like crap. Robert Duvall, can never complain about, even in the smallest roles. John Hillcoat directs with confidence and excellent cinematography, as well as a great score. Everything feels real when you are watching the film, and you connect with all the characters and hope the best for them. That is why I love this movie... It made me "feel" deep down inside and movies don't usually do that to me. My only complaint is the ending felt unfinished and open-ended, but PLEASE don't let that spoil the whole movie for you.
