Vividly atmospheric direction and performances that are packed with raw honesty
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11/25/09
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The Road (2009)
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Reviews Counted:126
Fresh:89
Rotten:37
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: The Road's commitment to Cormac McCarthy's dark vision may prove too unyielding for some, but the film benefits from hauntingly powerful performances from Viggo Mortensen and Kodi McPhee.
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: After the Oscar-winning success of the adaptation of the Cormac McCarthy novel NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, another of the author's works arrives on screen. Viggo Mortensen stars in THE ROAD, a thriller... [More]
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Kodi McPhee, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce
Director: John Hillcoat
Reviews for The Road
Fortunately, the rumourmongers were wrong -- Hillcoat’s vision is forthright and brutal.
09/13/09
Top CriticThere is so much in this picture, from dread, horror, to suspense, bitterly moving love, extraordinary, Oscar-worthy art direction and a desperate lead performance from Viggo Mortensen which perfectly illustrates the ... desperation of parental love.
09/03/09
Filmed as if dictated by Jehovah but ultimately boasting only a fraction of the artistic value of, say, Terminator: Salvation
12/08/09
Hopelessly muddled narratively, with one foot trapped in a more conventional American Hollywood narrative, and the other rooted in a more esoteric European arthouse aesthetic.
12/08/09
For all the desperation and tragedy, then, the film offers a kind of heroism, set against a frankly grim but also frequently poetic backdrop.
12/08/09
This film is worth seeing for the performances from Mortensen and gifted adolescent actor Smit-McPhee.
12/04/09
A powerful and devastating adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel.
12/04/09
One of the grimmest end-of-the-world movies in recent memory.
12/03/09
It's a beautiful, harrowing story and a good film. I'm just worried it's not good enough considering its potential.
12/03/09
Hillcoat certainly provides the requisite seriousness, but what the movie lacks is an underlying sense of innocence, a sense that, however far humanity has sunk, there is at least some chance of rising again.
12/02/09
Top CriticIn attempting to realize McCarthy's vision of the planet in chaos, Hillcoat delves so deeply into his source material that he loses sight of the audience.
12/01/09
'The Road' is a courageous road picture and an unnerving dystopian epic, but with great moments of horror, love, and adventure.
12/01/09
It hits a few tinny, sentimental notes. Still, I admire the craft and conviction of this film, and I was impressed enough by the look and the performances to recommend that you see it.
11/30/09
Top CriticWhat's unnerving is that the end of the world was shot on location. Apparently, if you want to see doom, just go to New Orleans or Pittsburgh.
11/30/09
The Road prompts us to treat each other with kindness and to savor 'small graces.' ... Can we carry the light and heat of grace when survival demands that we carry a loaded gun? That is the question.
11/30/09
It's fitting that The Road opens at Thanksgiving. It will thrill you, unsettle you, but mostly remind you that even in the darkest of times there is much to be thankful for.
11/30/09
Carved almost verbatim from Cormac McCarthy's compelling novel, The Road is a depressing, gut-wrenching journey that is strangely uplifting at its core.
11/30/09
The visions of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book I read were precisely what I saw on screen.
11/29/09
In this haunting portrait of America as no country for old men or young, Hillcoat -- through the artistry of Mortensen and Smit-McPhee -- carries the fire of our shared humanity and lets it burn bright and true.
11/29/09
Latest News for The Road
November 24, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
This week at the movies, we've got martial arts mayhem (Ninja Assassin, starring Rain and Naomie Harris); family-friendly hi jinks (Old Dogs, starring John Travolta and Robin... More...
October 02, 2009:
New: Brand New Trailer and Poster 
More...
September 22, 2009:
Viggo Mortensen Dismisses Retirement Rumors, Talks The Road
With the long-delayed "The Road" finally reaching theaters in a few weeks, Viggo Mortensen might have one of the year's best movies on his hands -- and despite rumors of his... More...
September 08, 2009:
Up in the Air, The Road Impress at Telluride
"Up in the Air" generated applause, "The Road" brought people to tears, and "Paranormal Activity" scared them half to death. This year's Telluride Film Festival is on the books,... More...
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