The Road (2009)

7.7

Movie

United States of America
English
Adventure, Drama
2009
JOHN HILLCOAT
Agnes Herrmann, Bob Jennings, Buddy Sosthand
111 min

What it's about

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones, and, when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there.

The take

A Cormac McCarthy novel adaptation (like No Country for Old Men), The Road is an apocalypse movie set in a 'scorched Earth' rendition of the world. It follows a father (played by Viggo Mortensen) and his son as they battle to survive everyday life. Throughout the movie, the son's trust in his father grows and shrinks depending on choices the father makes, as he attempts to protect his son from cannibals, bandits, and the threat of starvation. The gritty realism this movie presents sets it apart from many other more theatrical releases, with the setting of a charred world illustrating a rather depressing new reality. A very down to earth and heartfelt story. Definitely worth the watch if you're willing to feel like you've been punched in the gut.

Comments

This is a good movie but there is absolutely nothing positive about this film.
Do not watch if you are depressed or sad. I had the hardest time watching it because of all the dreariness. OMG that was hard.
The acting was superb and they even tossed in Robert Duvall.
The flashbacks got a bit annoying, but overall, a very good depressing movie.

I just wish I knew where they filmed all of those locations. That was incredible.

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

More like this in

Lust, Caution (2007)

A wartime spy falls for a collaborator in this erotic espionage drama

7.3

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)

A cynical, but terribly honest portrait of the indignity of modern life

7.9

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Comrades, Almost a Love Story (1996)

Almost Hong Kong natives become almost lovers in this heart stirring romance drama

8.2

Breaking the Waves (1996)

Lars von Trier breaks his rules in the tearjerking first film of the Golden Heart trilogy

8.1

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

Turtles All the Way Down (2024)

A sweet and relatable coming-of-age drama that brings mental health and economic realities to the fore

7.1

A Silent Voice (2016)

A coming-of-age movie that circles around friendship and the atonement of a boy

8.7

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.