The Road (2009)

Director:

John Hillcoat

Writers:

Cormac McCarthy (novel)
Joe Penhall (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

2 DECEMBER 2009 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

In a moment the world changed forever.

Plot:

A post-apocalyptic tale of a man and his son trying to survive by any means possible.

Plot Keywords:

Pistol | Snow | Post Apocalyptic | Shopping Cart | Thief

Awards:

1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Viggo Mortensen	...	Man
Kodi Smit-McPhee	...	Boy
Robert Duvall	...	Old Man
Guy Pearce	...	Veteran
Molly Parker	...	Motherly Woman
Michael K. Williams	...	The Thief (as Michael Kenneth Williams)
Garret Dillahunt	...	Gang Member
Charlize Theron	...	Woman
Bob Jennings	...	Bearded Man
Agnes Herrmann	...	Archer's Woman
Buddy Sosthand	...	Archer
Kirk Brown	...	Bearded Face
Jack Erdie	...	Bearded Man #2
David August Lindauer	...	Man On Mattress
Gina Preciado	...	Well Fed Woman

MPAA:

Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #44940) | Finland:K-15 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Abandoned Turnpike Tunnels, Breezewood, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

John Hillcoat filmed the soft-drink vending-machine scene with Man and Boy several times, each with a different brand beverage, out of concern that Coca-Cola executives would not want their product to appear in the motion picture. A telephone call from Viggo Mortensen to the president of Coca-Cola secured permission for a can of Coca-Cola to appear, consistent with the source novel.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Man is in his old home on the right sofa seat. After a cut away it shows the Man now on the left sofa seat.

Quotes:

[from trailer]
The Gang Member: That boy looks hungry. Why don't ya'll come on to the truck?
The Man: You look at him again, I'll shoot you in the head.
The Gang Member: I don't think you've killed a man in your life.

Agonizingly desperate and sad

While watching this movie I thought to myself that it was good I had already read the book. This was because the movie is agonizingly desperate and sad--often times it was just too much to absorb or handle in such a large dose. You can't put this movie down like you can with the book. Unlike the book being beautifully written, in an almost poetic prose, which distracted the reader from the subject, the movie is not beautifully shot. In your face is desperation, agony, and death.

I can understand why this movie was shelved for a year. Do not go into it looking to be entertained, at best look to be intellectually stimulated. This is no popcorn movie.