I was ready to go see "Old Dogs" until I saw that "The Road" was playing in limited release at a second favorite theatre. Of course, as a fan of "No Country For Old Men" and of Cormac McCarthy's books in general, I was not going to pass this up.
SYNOPSIS: A Man and his Boy travel south across a post-apocalyptic landscape, trying to survive at any cost. But at what cost?
Based on Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name, "The Road" is a tale of a post-apocalyptic world where a Man and his Boy try to survive against hunger, cannibals and scavengers. Viggo Mortensen plays the father, protecting his son and leading him south to the coast. In a world where morality has been traded in for the simple rules of survival, the Man struggles to teach the Boy to be one of the good guys and to "carry the fire" in his heart. But can the Man "carry the fire" as well when he is faced with the evils of this brave new world?
This movie is not for everyone. It certainly does not have the more universal appeal that "No Country For Old Men" had. And it is not in the same vein as other post-apocalyptic fares like actioners "The Road Warrior" or "Terminator: Salvation". It is a depressing look at what humanity is and what humanity can become in the absence of hope.
Viggo Mortensen plays the Man with the quiet desperation of a man that knows he does not have the strength to move mountains. The Son is played by Kodi Smit-McPhee as if he is carrying the "fire" for all of humanity. And Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce give intelligent performances to add depth to an already gray portrait.
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