The Road

In director John Hillcoat's powerful adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's grim Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, a father and son make their perilous way on foot across the wet, wretched, ash-laden wasteland of a post-apocalyptic United States, scavenging food and fuel while seeking shelter, and constantly taking precautions for their safety. No one knows what caused the cataclysm 10 years earlier: one day there was just a huge flash of light, followed by continuous earthquakes and fires. In the aftermath, some survivors banded together as cannibal parties, preying on the vulnerable, while desperate others chose to go it alone as long as they could. An unnamed 11-year-old (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and his fiercely protective dad (Viggo Mortensen) are trudging southward through the bitter cold toward the warmth of the coastline. As the resourceful father reminds his son, they're “the good guys,” carrying “the fire” deep inside them, along with memories (seen in flashback) of the boy's mother (Charlize Theron), who ultimately committed suicide. Several encounters—some terrifying, others edifying—mark their mythic, meandering journey, but the most memorable revolves around the boy's empathy for a blind old codger (Robert Duvall) with whom they spend a philosophical evening by a campfire. Haunting, ominous, and evocative, The Road is a cautionary if also somewhat cryptic allegory about indomitable human hope in the face of unfathomable horror. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary with director John Hillcoat, a “making-of” featurette (14 min.), deleted/extended scenes (7 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the “movieIQ” trivia track and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a winning film.] (S. Granger)