The Road (2009)

Directed by: John Hillcoat
Starring: Viggo Mortenson

**

I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference. Unfortunately for Man (Viggo Mortenson) and his Son (Kodi-Smit McPhee) even those roads less traveled are stricken with canabilistic "bad guys" intent on... well, eating them. So begins the story of survival in the post-apocolyptic world the few remaining have been forced to endure for what I gathered has been years now. Make no mistake, The Road is a survival tale and there are certainly elements and conflicts that present our protagonsists with worst case scenarios, but to be blunt, a battle to survive with no real story surrounding it does not a quality movie make.

The Road is beautifully shot. Even a desolate, destroyed world looks like a painting at times and it captures perfectly the very obvious idea that post-apocolyptic life is worse than pre-apocolyptic. Additionally, there are some scenes that not only work well, but had me on the edge of my seat, or on the verge of tears (not literally... I'm a man, I don't cry. However, I'm sure I'm not man enough to survive the apocolypse). On the road, Man and his son are presented with the fact that they must survive by whatever means necessary, all while remaining "the good guys with the fire inside" (more on this later) Anytime there's a house or a shelter or a car it must serve as a hotel or a grocery store no matter what danger could be inside. That danger reaches its peak in the basement of a townhouse at which point I was gripping my own arms so tightly with fear that I can do nothing but commend the film for its ability to assemble a perfectly crafted scene.

Michael K. Williams', or as credited, The Thief, resume isn't long but his work in The Wire, his small part in Gone Baby Gone and his performance here have led me to calling him a great, great actor. I've scene him play fearless characters impressively, but he was nothing short of heartbreaking as a man who falls victim not to the canables but to "the good guys" who at that point had become so desperate that they are spiteful, angry and suspicious of everyone.

So who are "the good guys"? Viggo Mortenson is good in the film. I wouldn't say he was great because he never convinced me. There was no mystery as to what was going on throughout. The only mysteries existed in the unnecessary flashbacks of when the apocalypse began and the man's wife (Charlize Theron) left. Not only were these flashbacks unnecessary, but their attempt at providing explanations of what happened to Theron's character or why their gun only has two bullets were all unnecessary. The world we see in the present is realistic enough that if we're not going to get the whole story of how our characters got there (didn't need that so its fine) then don't bother with bits and pieces. I'd have been content with just traveling the road. Mortenson, despite the dangers we saw with our own eyes, didn't convince me that he was ever really that afraid of it or that he was ever going to take the extreme measures he assured his son he would. Even the barrel of a gun with one bullet to the forehead of his own child didn't really phase me because I never thought he'd do it. Maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he couldn't. I don't know because that level of his performance was absent. He continuously assures his son that they are the good guys and they'll never resort to eating people even if they're starving because they are fighting with fire inside them to survive. Not only was I not convinced, but clearly his son wasn't because he had to keep asking if they were the good guys. Beyond that... I started to get the impression that he couldn't even convince himself because eventually his son had to keep reminding him that they're the good guys!

Again, Mortenson was good, not great. McPhee was bad, not horrible. More than anything he was annoying and distracting. Not every movie is going to get Christian Bale from Empire of the Son but there is often a middle ground. His performance aside however, the film failed to accomplish the very essential aspect of his character. I fault the film for having no story beyond surviving but at a point I thought that perhaps it was chronicling a father and son's torch passing journey. Throughout, Mortenson refuses to cover his son's eyes because it is important for him to see the horrors of the world they live in. He's training him to survive if and when he is gone. Despite what the film suggests and contrary to common sense, his son still falls asleep immediately when he's on watch.

There was never a point in this movie when I should have laughed. I don't mean there were no jokes, I mean its set up as a very serious, life or death tale. Unfortunately, it almost takes itself too seriously. There are moments when the characters, the situation and the film defy every instinct that anyone should have and it subsequently becomes ridiculous. That ridiculousness mounts to the point where I, as a viewer, got fed up and little things became laughable. Little things that in the context of a seamless film would go unnoticed. As soon as I was aware of the existence of the film, I was no longer invested enough to let little things alone. The story must exist, the film mustn't.

I went into The Road with moderate expectations. Reviews were positive and the trailer looked great but I wonder if its one of those films that garner positive reviews based on reputation rather than quality. How can the author of the great No Country for Old Men give us anything short of brilliant? Well, maybe he did give us something brilliant. John Hillcoat however, gave us nothing more than a long road that by traveling, apparently made no difference at all.