Sure the apocalypse has come leaving civilization destroyed, there's no food, you're cold, homeless and constantly fighting off cannibals, but on the bright side...oh, that's right, there is no bright side. You're going to die, you will starve alone and cold and when you're dead cannibals will feast on your malnourished bones. Happy times! The End.

If you like depressing I have found the new center of your DVD library. My friend Krusty over at Fistful of Donuts hits the nail on the head with his review:

And The Road doesn't hold out much hope for mankind. Cannibalism, rape, torture and murder are just under the surface of each of us, according to this film, and even good people are likely to become senselessly, inhumanly cruel when removed from the dictates of civilized interaction. This movie isn't just cynical; it's absolutely relentless.

Relentless is the exact word. You have a scene where the father portrayed by Viggo Mortensen (who is apparently made of leather now) teaches his son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) how to put the pistol in his mouth and properly blow his brains out. If that doesn't give you pause, I don't know what will.

The film follows a father and son as they walk south following an apocalyptic disaster. The disaster itself is not explained or shown. We are not given a view of the world as it falls apart. The focus is on the desperate last gasps of humanity. Civilization completely gone, hope for long-term survival gone, men become animals scraping for every last scrap of existence - it ain't pretty.


The problem the film faces is if you're going to ask your audience to sit through this kind of content, you better have a solid point to make. You better end with a definitive statement. This film lacks that satisfying payoff. I don't mean we need to have a happy ending, but one with some depth. The ending of this film stinks of a focus group, or at least a writer who didn't know how else to end things.

There are many aspects of the film that are well thought out and executed about as good as possible. There are strong supporting performances by Robert DuVall, Michael K. Williams and Charlize Theron. All of this wasted by a less than brilliant ending. In this way, the film replicates its presentation of civilization, a great deal of effort, much of it worthwhile, but it all comes down to weak moments that devalue everything that came before it.



Related Reviews:
Viggo Mortensen movies
Eastern Promises (2007)
Appaloosa (2008)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Miami Herald
Chicago Tribune



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Labels: Charlize Theron, film, Guy Pearce, movie trailer, Robert Duvall, Viggo Mortensen