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The Road

Play trailer Poster for The Road R Released Dec 18, 2009 1h 50m Drama Mystery & Thriller Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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74% Tomatometer 216 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.
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The Road

The Road

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Critics 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.

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Critics Reviews

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Shadow and Act Staff Shadow and Act I still recommend The Road; just keep in mind that this is Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale, not Richard Matheson's. Sep 13, 2022 Full Review Deborah Ross The Spectator I cannot say how faithful this is but, having read other McCarthy books, would say the novel probably repaid your attention with its astonishing prose. This, though, puts you through the wringer, but doesn't repay you in any way. Aug 30, 2018 Full Review Ed Koch The Atlantic It wasn't fascinating at all. The movie looked like it cost $500 to make, excluding actors' salaries, which were worth another $500. Jan 16, 2018 Full Review Michael Leader Den of Geek While The Road is not without its impressive aspects, it has not efficiently pulled taut the slack created by the loss of McCarthy’s commanding prose. And so, it is hard to avoid the sense that it needn’t have been made at all. Rated: 3/5 May 7, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Plan to see it twice—once to familiarize yourself with its unconventional, non-commercial method of storytelling, and a second time that allows you to submerge into the material, to appreciate how stunningly composed it is. Rated: 4/4 Aug 30, 2023 Full Review James Croot Stuff.co.nz While such a depressing, disturbing and disquieting conceit will not be everyone's ideal of almost two hours entertainment, The Road is one of the great films of the 21st century. Rated: 5/5 May 31, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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James W I often wonder how I'd fare in an apocalyptic world. Most films glorify and give unrealistic depictions of the "end times" that excite our imaginations. This film does not. It gives the harsh truth - the apocalypse isn't something to envy. Led by a phenomenal performance by Viggo Mortensen, the story follows a single dad trying to raise his son in a cold and hopeless world. In all the violence and hunger, even the most righteous people have become the desperate and deprived animals that hide deep within our nature. In the film's best moments, the loving father-son relationship creates a bit of light in this darkened world. Overall, this is a simple film that's masterfully executed. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/12/24 Full Review Maani H Scary film which makes you apprehensive one of the possible routes mankind might end up walking in future. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Kyle C Alright, look. I’m gonna try real hard not to judge this movie against the original novel. I will probably compare them, but I’ll try not to let it sway my judgment of the movie as its own entity. And I will definitely fail, but here goes. This is a great movie. It absolutely nails the aesthetic from the book while maintaining its groundedness and relatability. It maybe leans a little too heavily into the action and suspense scenes for my taste, but it’s Hollywood; I get it. It also does a good job of capturing the dryness of the novel while adding a bit more drama, again, for Hollywood. Viggo Mortensen is at the top of his game, as usual. He gives the performance of a lifetime, and the little kid is pretty good too. The minimal handful of other cast play their parts well. Wisely, the script is mostly taken straight from the novel and just trimmed down a bit. One thing I personally didn’t like was the small glimmers of a hopeful future which are sprinkled throughout. That sounds terrible to say. But in my opinion, the whole point of the story is that there is no hope. Absolutely none. And we spend roughly two hours exploring what humanity would do when faced with this reality. To drop hints that maybe everything will be fine feels disingenuous and incongruous. For me, the selling points of this movie are its mood and soundtrack, which lends a lovely, eerie quality while being barely noticeable. For fans of the novel, you’ll love the adaptation. If you’re new to the source material, you’ll probably still love it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/14/24 Full Review Michael D It’s good but seeing it in 2024 eyes a little bland and melodramatic. Last of Us and a dozen other modern takes have a lot more going for them, just watch those. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/17/24 Full Review Faiz D A beautifully shot film with a haunting, disturbing story. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Adrian A All in all, the film is worth your time if you're looking for some good old post-apocalypse misery, or if you're a fan of the book and want a chance to relive the story to an extent. For those familiar with McCarthy's work, this adaptation will seem a bit saccharine. Where once the hollow landscape was painted by McCarthy's hauntingly sparse prose, every scene in the film is punctuated by sad little arpeggios plinked away on a piano, or a tense scene is blanketed with dissonant strings. I craved the honest bleakness of the book, but felt the filmmaker's hand trying to guide my emotions at every turn. Now, all that said, the performances are spot on here, as are the landscapes. The events of the book are rearranged, for reasons I am unsure of, as it did not seem to enhance the story. But it is, at least, comprised of almost entirely out of the events of the book. It is a faithful, if somewhat standard adaptation, taking the book at face value and presenting it on the screen with a simple earnestness. At least it never tries to shy away from the striking imagery McCarthy presented. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/11/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Road

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Cast & Crew

The Road

The Road: Official Clip - The Last Man Alive The Road: Official Clip - The Last Man Alive 2:54 The Road: Official Clip - The Coast The Road: Official Clip - The Coast 2:18 The Road: Official Clip - From Another World The Road: Official Clip - From Another World 2:20 The Road: Official Clip - Earthquake The Road: Official Clip - Earthquake 2:23 The Road: Official Clip - The Thief The Road: Official Clip - The Thief 2:57 The Road: Official Clip - First Kill The Road: Official Clip - First Kill 2:37 The Road: Official Clip - Her Final Gift The Road: Official Clip - Her Final Gift 2:40 The Road: Official Clip - God Never Spoke The Road: Official Clip - God Never Spoke 2:43 The Road: Official Clip - Human Livestock The Road: Official Clip - Human Livestock 2:54 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis America is a grim, gray shadow of itself after a catastrophe. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) wander through this post-apocalyptic world, trying to keep the dream of civilization alive. They journey toward the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can scavenge, and try to avoid roving gangs of savage humans who will turn them into slaves, or worse.
Director
John Hillcoat
Producer
Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz, Nick Wechsler
Screenwriter
Joe Penhall
Distributor
Weinstein Co.
Production Co
2929 Productions, Chockstone Pictures, Dimension Films
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Images|Some Violence)
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 2009, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$8.1M
Runtime
1h 50m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS
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