The Road

Uncompromising with every step, a film that doesn't hold back and can be quite a solid punch for the viewer. Mortensen is very believable and the production design is excellent. A bit slow-paced and, for my taste, lacking in plot twists, but still satisfying. Some scenes are very chilling. (26/06/2010)

Hillcoat certainly didn't do badly here and in fact, I can't imagine if McCarthy’s book could have been adapted more faithfully. However, like the Coen brothers, the film is brought down by the poor rewrite that simplified some passages for the film medium, and cut others, and yet added nothing of its own. I appreciate the austere work with images, which doesn't push the viewer into the popular post-apocalyptic depression, but rather strums on grimly sad strings, like the musician Nick Cave. Regardless, I’m glad Hillcoat had the balls to film it the way he did. On the other hand, the aftertaste of uselessness cannot be repelled, at least in my case. Seven thumbs up out of ten. I think I'll go to the movies. I’m afraid of Blood Meridian. (24/01/2010)

A post apocalyptic movie of the highest quality drenched in the murkiest atmosphere and wrapped in the darkness of grey fumes evaporating from a dying planet. We don’t know why exactly, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is survival. To eat and not get eaten. Viggo Mortensen is at his best and his little side-kick Kodi Smith-McPhee plays a great supporting role. These two under the firm direction of John Hillcoat push the dolly forward at a slow and contemplative tempo towards an ending which is not exactly impressive, but fairly logical. And that’s about it. (19/03/2010)

For most of the runtime I had decided on a 100% rating, but the last few minutes belong to a completely different film. When it comes to the portrayal of a post-apocalyptic future, The Road leaves all the modern competition way behind. Only the old British film Threads can be compared in terms of the intensity of the despair and depression. The Road is a strong argument for those who claim that I Am Legend and Carriers are not particularly good films. 9/10 (13/01/2010)

The Road is a melancholic, beautiful movie involving a slowly and sensitively narrated story of two defenseless characters traveling in a world without humanity. It is a world in which I didn’t want to leave them alone and wanted to protect them. Viggo Mortensen is great and Robert Duvall is phenomenal. The film offers one hellishly chilling scene and a nice, ubiquitous piano motif. So far, The Road is the second candidate (after Shutter Island) for my top 10 movies of this year. (02/05/2010)