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Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce ... see more see more... , Molly Parker , Michael K. Williams , Garret Dillahunt , Bob Jennings , Jack Erdie , Buddy Sosthand , Agnes Herrmann , Kirk Brown , David August Lindauer , Gina Preciado , Mary Rawson

A father (Viggo Mortensen) and son make their way across a post-apocalyptic United States in hopes of finding civilization amongst the nomadic cannibal tribes in 2929 Productions' adaptation of Cormac... read more read more... McCarthy's thrilling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Road. John Hillcoat (The Proposition) directs from a screenplay provided by Joe Penhall. Charlize Theron co-stars in the Dimension Films release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Flixster Users

65% liked it

235,692 ratings

Critics

75% liked it

197 critics

R, 1 hr. 51 min.

Directed by: John Hillcoat

Release Date: November 25, 2009

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DVD Release Date: May 25, 2010

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Stats: 10,579 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (10,579)

  • jmanard52
    July 17, 2010
    jmanard52
    A beautifully shot film with a haunting soundtrack that adds to the depressing and often disturbing story of a father trying to keep his son alive in a post apocalyptic world. Mortensen is simply amazing as the father and the youngster Kodi Smit-Mcphee is great as the son.

    It d... read moreoesnt matter what happened, it just did and when that time comes, the story revolves around someone just trying to survive. And that is the beauty of this simple but complex story. Wonderful film.
  • danperry17
    March 25, 2012
    danperry17
    Had I not read the book, I'm not sure I'd have been able to watch the film. The beginning is incredibly lugubrious, and though it has its captivating moments, the action is dragged down by the minimalist dialogue. In the novel, it's all rendered in words, and it's a book I read i... read moren one night, practically one sitting, even. I was barely able to do the same with the movie. The cinematography was excellent, though.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    A gritty, depressing look into a post-apocalyptic world. Sounds like an interesting approach to an apocalyptic setting but unfortunately, the pacing suffers. The pacing is never redeemed. Viggo Mortensen, as always, captures the screen but with little to no dialogue, the performa... read morence can be magnetic but not enough to create an interesting story.
  • blkbomb
    November 28, 2011
    blkbomb
    The Man: All I know is that the boy was my charge. And if he was not the word of God. Then God never spoke. 

    "In a moment the world changed forever."

    The Road is such a bleak and depressing movie to watch and it should be. The world that the father-son characters are put into i... read mores as bleak as any I have seen in a movie. The two characters move south and must watch out for cannibals and have to be suspicious of everyone. They search for food and are lucky when they are able to find crumbs on an old diners table. There's very little happiness to be found in The Road.

    For a majority of the running time, nothing much happens. A father and son walk through a desolate America in search for coast line and from there, who knows. They have to battle the elements, their hunger and the few survivors they encounter. All they have is each other and a pistol with two bullets in it. The film does have some absolutely devastating scenes; one of which almost brought me to tears and I don't tear up easily from movies. The Road at a huge effect on me.

    As I watched this movie, I realized just how nice I have it and that I wouldn't last a day trying to live the way these characters do. As I watched on my big screen television, I sipped on a Pepsi, while sitting in my nice warm house, while eating some Thanksgiving leftovers, while I got updates on sporting events from my iPad. Take away all those things and put me in a world where I have to fight to survive; I'd be dead in less than 24 hours. 

    Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are tremendous as the father-son survivors. The two have amazing chemistry on the screen together and really bring the sadness of the situation home. Their performances are what makes this movie one of the best post-apocalyptic movies I have ever seen. 
  • kenstachnik
    November 25, 2011
    kenstachnik
    Much like the Proposition, this is a feel bad film. The dread that Hillcoat is able to convey is extremely powerful. But don't expect it to not ruin your evening. The after party must of been the worst party ever (except maybe Irreversible's.)
  • SajinPA
    October 4, 2011
    SajinPA
    Premise of the movie takes place in a future when humanity is staring extinction in the face, reasons for which are not discussed in the movie. With most plant and animal life gone, the few survivors left are wandering in search for food, and many even resorting to cannibalism. ... read moreWith whatever little determination they have left, a man and his son sets out on what might be a hopeless quest, where their morals and faith will be tested throughout.

    In what may be one of the most uncompromising version of a possible future than any other yet put on film, a viewer can feel the weight of despair sinking into his consciousnesses, every passing second. An excellent production design with desolate landscapes and gray skies, powerful performances from its actors (Including an unforgettable cameo by Robert Duvall) makes this one of the most remarkable post-apocalyptic movie I've seen.
  • hunterjt13
    July 13, 2011
    hunterjt13
    A father and son journey south in an apocalyptic wasteland, but they neither know where they are going nor why,
    There is no getting around the fact that this is one of the most grim, pessimistic, and depressing films in recent memory. What is the film saying? That retaining one... read more's moral compass is far more difficult that we might think. We see this as the Boy tries to prevent his father from mistreating the Thief and the Old Man and his constant question: "We're still the good guys, right, Papa?"
    What sets Cormac McCarthy's work apart from most of the other post-apocalyptic films you've seen is an over-whelming absence. There's the absence of comedic irony found in A Boy and His Dog or a hero like Mad Max or a pregnant woman like Children of Men or even evidence of enduring modernity like The Mist or, in the case of the zombie apocalypse, 28 Days Later. There isn't even a named cause for what has become of America. In other words, there is simply no hope.
    As I think about this film, I wonder if saying a negative is saying anything, if negation is in itself substantive. I think so. But I also think that it doesn't make a compelling film.
    Overall, if you're looking for the feel-good movie of the year or any endearing insight into the human condition, look elsewhere.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    May 10, 2011
    StarCrossedVoyager
    A lot better than what I expected as I have read the book and it's a very difficult narrative to get across. If I hadn't have read the book I might not have understood some points and the movie has missed out a lot of good plot points however great performances from all. In the b... read moreook I didn't notice how dodgy the final male character is after The Man has died so that's a difference I've seen in this movie.
  • rezpatriot
    March 27, 2011
    rezpatriot
    A father and son struggle to live and survive through post apcolyptic America, we never really know what happened although flashbacks are given as to the fathers past life, the movie is a slow yet progressive grim look at how surviving is dangerous. The music sets the mood, all i... read moren all, a good film if you want something slow paced but a little scary.
  • fb732260458
    February 8, 2011
    fb732260458
    Believe me, I love the regular cry-yourself-to-sleep-after-watching flick as much as the next guy, but this Cormac McCarthy adaptation takes it to a whole new level. Grim, haunting, yet so ever refreshing.

View All The Road Reviews

Critic Reviews

Sam Adams
December 2, 2009
Sam Adams, Los Angeles Times

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 risin... Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 30, 2009
A.O. Scott, At the Movies

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. Full Review

Peter Travers
November 29, 2009
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

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 brigh...

Peter Howell
November 29, 2009
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

How could anything so bleak be so promising? Full Review

Joe Morgenstern
November 29, 2009
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

You hang on to yourself for dear life, resisting belief as best you can in the face of powerful acting, persuasive filmmaking and the perversely compelling certainty that nothing will turn out all right. Full Review

Christopher Orr
November 26, 2009
Christopher Orr, New Republic

Is the film too grim? Or not grim enough? In a perverse way, I fear it's both. Full Review

Eric D. Snider
November 25, 2009
Eric D. Snider, Film.com

This year's entry in the Movies You Admire and Respect but Don't Ever Want to Watch Again Sweepstakes. Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 25, 2009
A.O. Scott, New York Times

The most arresting aspect of The Road is just how fully the filmmakers have realized this bleak, blighted landscape of a modern society reduced to savagery. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
November 25, 2009
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

The Road possesses undeniable sweep and a grim kind of grandeur, but it ultimately plays like a zombie movie with literary pretensions. Full Review

Kyle Smith
November 25, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Zombieland was the same movie with laughs, but if you take away the comedy, what is left? Nothing, on a vast scale. Full Review

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Facts

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    • The Man: If he is not the word of God, then God never spoke.
    • The Man: Do you ever wish you would die?
    • Old Man: No. It's foolish to ask for luxuries in times like these.
    • The Gang Member: You ain't gonna shoot that thing. You ain't got but two shells. Maybe one. And they'll hear the shot.
    • The Man: Maybe. But you won't. Because that bullet will be through your head and in your brain before you can hear it. To hear it, you'll need a frontal lobe, and things with names like "colliculus" and "temporal gyrus". And you won't have 'em anymore, because they'll just be soup.
    • The Gang Member: You a doctor?
    • The Man: I'm not anything.
    • The Man: You think I won't kill you? You're wrong.
    • The Gang Member: You know what I think? I think you're chicken-shit. You never killed a man in your life.
    • The Man: If I were God, I would have made the world just so and no different. And so I have you... I have you.
    • The Man: You have to keep carrying the fire.
    • The Boy: What fire?
    • The Man: The fire inside you.
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