The Road (2009)

In a dangerous post-apocalyptic world, an ailing father defends his son as they slowly travel to the sea.

Director:

John Hillcoat

Writers:

Joe Penhall (screenplay by), Cormac McCarthy (based on the book by)

Stars:

Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Kodi Smit-McPhee

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Viggo Mortensen	...	Man
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Boy
Robert Duvall	...	Old Man
Guy Pearce	...	Veteran
Molly Parker	...	Motherly Woman
Michael Kenneth Williams	...	Thief
Garret Dillahunt	...	Gang Member
Charlize Theron	...	Woman
Bob Jennings	...	Bearded Man
Agnes Herrmann	...	Archer's Woman
Buddy Sosthand	...	Archer
Kirk Brown	...	Bearded Face
Jack Erdie	...	Bearded Man #2
David August Lindauer	...	Man On Mattress
Gina Preciado	...	Well Fed Woman

Storyline

It's a post-apocalyptic world, several years after whatever the cataclysmic event, which has in turn caused frequent quakes as further potential hazards. The world is gray and getting quickly grayer as more and more things die off. A man and his pre-teen son, who was born after the apocalypse, are currently on the road, their plan to walk to the coast and head south where the man hopes there will be a more hospitable environment in which to live. The man has taught his son that they are the "good people" who have fire in their hearts, which in combination largely means that they will not resort to cannibalism to survive. The man owns a pistol with two bullets remaining, which he will use for murder/suicide of him and his son if he feels that that is a better fate for them than life in the alternative. Food and fuel are for what everyone is looking. The man has taught his son to be suspect of everyone that they may meet, these strangers who, out of desperation, may not only try to ...

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Plot Keywords:

apocalypse | skinny dipping | survival | on the road | cannibalism | 

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Taglines:

In a moment the world changed forever.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

During a preview Q&A screening in London, John Hillcoat revealed that Kodi Smit-McPhee won the role of "The Boy", partly due to an audition tape sent in by Kodi's father that showed them re-enacting the scene where the father shows the boy how to kill himself, by placing a pistol in his mouth.

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Goofs

The Man is looking for gasoline in an old station but by that point, he'd have already learned that any fuel he might have found would be pretty much useless. Gasoline only has a "shelf life" of about six months. This can be extended by storing it in a vacuum-sealed container but even then, it certainly wouldn't last for years.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Wife: What's happening? Why are you taking a bath?
The Man: I'm not.

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Crazy Credits

Over the end credits, we hear the sounds of children playing. What the world must have been like in happier times.

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Connections

Featured in Scream Awards 2010 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord No. 3 in E Major: Adagio Ma Non Tanto
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach (as J.S. Bach)
Arranged by Ryan Franks
Performed by Ryan Franks & Harry Scorzo
Courtesy of Crucial Music Corporation

User Reviews

So Well Done I Wanted To Kill Myself

The Road (1:50, R) — Science Fiction, 3rd string, original

Among the first words spoken in The Road (adapted from Cormac McCarthy's novel) are "It's just another earthquake.". That's supposed to be reassuring.

It's a bleak, devastated, post-apocalyptic world leached of everything: color, sounds, names, sunshine, warmth, joy, hope. Thru it trudge The Man (Viggo Mortenson) and The Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee), slowly and painfully making their way to "the coast", where maybe things will be marginally better. Who can say? But what else is there?

Along the way they encounter The Gang Member (Garret Dillahunt, still as creepy and frightening as he was in The Sarah Connor Chronicles and The Last House on the Left), The Road Gang Leader (Brenna Roth), The Old Man (Robert Duvall), The Thief (Michael K. Williams), and The Veteran (Guy Pearce) and his woman (Molly Parker). In flashbacks to an achingly lost former life, we see The Wife (Charlize Theron).

And really, once you've named the names, you've pretty well covered the movie. The name of the game is Survival, tho none can say what the point of it is. The food is gone, and clearly no more will be growing. Humans are apparently the only animals to survive the unnamed global disaster, so they represent the sole remaining, rapidly dwindling source of protein. The voices you hear approaching are not the Red Cross.

Some choose not to play. The Wife, after some low-energy soul-searching, goes the ancient-Eskimo route. "She was gone," The Man remembers, "and the coldness of it was her final gift."

Others persevere for no cogent reason. "DId you ever wish you would die?", The Man asks. "No," The Old Man replies, "it's foolish to ask for luxuries in times like these."

The Man and The Boy have 1 gun with 2 bullets left; they are not being reserved for potential assailants. In some of the movie's most agonizing scenes, we see The Man explain not only what must be done but why.

I walked into this movie 10 hours after leaving the theater where Avatar splashed the screen with color, motion, activity, purpose, a 3rd dimension, and a superb sound track. It is difficult to imagine 2 more disparate films in terms of tone and atmosphere. But both are extremely effective at making their respective worlds seem completely real.

The movie is unremittingly grim and completely believable. It doesn't pull its punches or sell out. It will haunt you. It's unlikely that anyone else will ever make another movie that treats the end of the world so realistically, so if you want to see the standard against which all others will be compared, this is your chance.

Stay away if you're depressed or prone to it, and avoid razor blades for 12 hours afterward.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Road

Filming Locations:

Rubles Run Bridge, Mon-Fayette Freeway, Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,502,231, 29 November 2009

Gross USA:

$8,117,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$27,639,579

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dimension Films, 2929 Productions, Nick Wechsler Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1