Film Review : The Road

Following the success of translating Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men by the Coen Brothers, director John Hillcoat was given the task of doing the same for The Road, McCarthy's post-apocalyptic tale of father and son trying to survive in the grimmest of circumstances.

Those who saw Hillcoat's last movie The Proposition will be aware that he has all the credentials to turn McCarthy's bleak tale into a gripping movie. And the good news is that he has succeeded, although it's not something to be going to if you're looking for some light entertainment.

Unlike many post-apocalyptic tales there is no attempt to provide any alternative to the fact that life for those that remain will be anything but difficult, challenging and plain grim. There is added power to the narrative by never revealing what has happened to create such devastation in the world - we probably all have our preferred end of the world phobias and each will fit nicely into this tale which will help to increase your empathy for the characters.

The plot is simple and revolves around the travels of a father and son as they head for the coast in the hope that they might find something more hopeful for the future. Viggo Mortenson plays the determined but pessimistic father trying both to protect his son and also to prepare him to try and survive in an unforgiving world where those that remain are largely hostile in their own determination to survive.

The bleak outlook of the father are offset by some flashback sequences before the apocalyptic event with his wife, played by Charlize Theron. It allows you to judge the cost that's etched on the father's face during their journey to the coast.

The son, played by Kodi Smit-McPhee was brought up in a post-apocalyptic world but retains some optimism about his fellow man. This is not shared by the father who is suspicious of everyone and, in a harrowing scene attempts to teach his son how to shoot himself should he find himself out of other options.

The father carries a gun but it's soon clear that this is intended for use on himself and his son should that prove necessary rather than to shoot others. But his whole being is devoted to the protection of his son, and the intensity of Mortenson's performance is remarkable in conveying this as the journey progresses and the pair have to deal with a number of incidents along the way.

Supported by some fine cameo performances by Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce, the film concludes with the vaguest glimmer of hope. But perhaps that entirely relative given the struggle of the pair through a bleak, devastated landscape.