THE ROAD
***1/2
Based on Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning mega-seller novel, The Road finally hits the big screen in one of the most anticipated films of the fall season. The last McCarthy book adapted for the screen, No Country For Old Men, was a massive critical and commercial success, and won four Oscars including Best Picture. So how could director John Hillcoat and star Viggo Mortensen be expected to deliver a film that would measure up a mere two years later? It is a question that Hillcoat and company answer by delivering the most emotionally wrenching and effective film so far this year. The Road doesn’t just get under your skin; it gets into your bones.
The story is simple: an unspecified global upheaval has taken place. The Earth has been left scorched and dying and there are few people left in the world. These unlucky survivors are left to scavenge and horde what little they can. Society has degenerated into a savage and brutal shell of its former self: marauding bands of cannibals roam the countryside, operable vehicles are almost non-existent, and what was once taken for granted - weapons, fuel, food - are now man’s most precious commodities. No government, no laws, no hope. This is the world inhabited by a father (Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), known simply here as The Man and The Boy. The Road tells their story, tracing their perilous trek as they try to reach the coast.
From a technical standpoint, this movie is a thing of threatening beauty. Filmed in real locations in Pennsylvania and Oregon, Javier Aguirresarobe’s wide and expansive cinematography, coupled with Chris Kennedy’s harshly realistic production design, show us a burned open wound of a world that is burnished by rich grays and browns. The costumes and makeup effects are all top notch as well, but the major accomplishments belong to screenwriter Joe Penhall and director John Hillcoat. The movie is a tightrope of storytelling structure, balancing a sometimes languid, measured pace with scenes of horrific ferocity. A sequence when The Man and The Boy first encounter a violent clan member (an extremely menacing Garret Dillahunt) is a shocker; it’s the first of many nail-biting scenes with near-unbearable tension. Hillcoat’s ability to convey a constant threat of violence while counterbalancing that with genuinely heartfelt emotional resonance is one of the film’s greatest feats.
The father-son dynamic portrayed by the two leads is the absolute heart and soul of this movie. Appearing in every scene, Mortensen and Smit-McPhee imbue their relationship with such chemistry and warmth that it is nothing short of astounding and feels completely real. Smit-McPhee, a true find, doesn’t simply give a great performance for a child actor: he gives a great performance for any actor. His ability to play an innocent who is forced to deal with the harshest of realities is not only impressive, but is the linchpin of a film that would’ve fallen apart with the wrong actor in this role. As for Viggo Mortensen, he continues to prove that he is one of the finest actors working today. He runs the entire emotional gamut in this movie. The Man is at turns a playful and loving care giver, a ruthless and cutthroat forager, and a person who is both physically and emotionally broken. In short, he is playing a man who must be a father in a world where that is simply no longer possible. Mortensen plays all of these moods and scenes with well judged restraint when they could have slipped into sentimentality or cliché in a lesser actor’s hands; his performance here truly ranks alongside his best in A History Of Violence and Eastern Promises. The supporting cast is also superb, with Charlize Theron holding the most screen time among them as Mortensen’s stern yet ultimately sympathetic wife who appears in a series of alternately harrowing and uplifting flashbacks. Even the smallest roles stick in the memory, such as Michael K. Williams as a thief, or Guy Pearce as one of the few “good guys” in this world. The finest support of the bunch, though, is a nearly unrecognizable Robert Duvall as a road-weary old man who has some words of wisdom for the father and son. Playing a character that could have come off as cantankerous and angry, Duvall delivers his dialogue with a mix of intelligence and poignancy only a truly great actor can achieve. Rarely do we see a film with such skillful acting throughout.
Now, finally, a word of warning. This movie is uncompromisingly bleak- so much so that it will undoubtedly be derided with such words as “depressing” and “slow”. These are somewhat valid complaints. This is a film that does not pander to its audience; it refuses to shoehorn in sentiment or levity where it doesn’t belong. It is, first and foremost, a heart wrenching journey about survival. The fact that a film of this much striking truth and honesty has come out of the Hollywood studio system is a testament to the fact that creativity is not dead in the movie business. Those who see it with that consideration will no doubt be rewarded with a film that it is also very much a movie about love, family, devotion and the strength of the human will. That being said, if you are prepared for an emotional wallop, get ready for one of the best movies this year. The Road aims to shake you to your very core. It succeeds triumphantly.
- By Adam Fiske, 11/15/09
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