The Road (2009)

Written by Axemaster August 27 2011
Rating 8 out 10

Director   -   John Hillcoat

Cast  
Viggo Mortensen  -  Man
Kodi Smit McPhee - Boy
Robert Duvall        -  Old Man
Guy Pearce         -    Veteran
Charlize  Theron   -   Woman



                              All right Doomsday Dwellers ! Axemasters in the Dungeon tonight with a real Doomsday Day Doosey for you .........
The Road !
Heres the story line in a nut shell !

            The flick begins with a flash back to the Day of the End . Not very long or telling . Just fond memories in the dreams of Man . Horses at his home . His lovely wife . Life as it was , and is no more !

"What do they Mean No REFUNDS !!??"

Now Man and Boy walk . They walk The Road . As we get our first glimpse of them doing just that , Man narrates to fill us in on what's gone down , and what happened to the world .
This is what he says ..................

        "The clock stopped at 1:17 . There was a long shear light and a series of low concussions . I think its October , but I can't be sure . I haven't kept a for years . Each day is more grey than the one before . It is cold , and growing colder , as the world slowly dies . No animals have survived and all the crops are long gone . Soon all the trees in the world will fall ."

"Just passed the Emissions Test !"

  
       As you can tell , Man is a real cheery guy ! He is the father to Boy . Boy is what keeps Man's legs moving every day . They are headed south to the coast , in hopes of finding a warmer climate to winter in . As its getting colder , as Man said . Man and Boy sleep under bridges . In fields . Where every they find to be "Safe" . They find an old barn along the road and check it out for food . Always on the look out for food are Man and Boy !! (Burger Kings Closed these days folks !) . They don't find any food in the barn , but they do bump into the former inhabitants . Hanging from the roof beams !
Life has been hard for the past decade , and this unfortunate family took the only way out they thought was a good one ! Not Man though !! He keeps soldiering on .

" Chee Chee Chee
Ha Ha Ha "

  Flash back to Boys birth . Through the flash backs we meet Boys mother , Woman . We see that she was pregnant with boy on the day of the End . We see that she has lost her will to go on . As Man boils water and prepares to bring his son into the dying world , Woman says she doesn't want to bring the child into it .
   Man is haunted by memories of Woman . As the film unfolds , we see what became of her .
Meanwhile , life on The Road is very dangerous . There is the constant threat of , gangs and tribes . Small armies armed with what ever they can find . Man is most worried about him and Boy becoming someone's dinner !! (Yuck ! I can understand !! ) Cannibalism is wide spread , due to the shortage of anything else to eat . So , its eat or be eaten in this brave new world !! They run into one such gang after spending the night near the roadside .

"We missed a turn in Albacurky !" 

They leave their well supplied shopping cart (Well supplied for these guys ! No Dorritos or Marshmallows here !! ) on the road and hide a bit out of sight . The gang stop as they have trouble with their truck ! ( Dam Warranties run out !!) One of the gang heads into the brush where they're hiding to take a leak . He sees them , and it leads to a tense stand off . Man has a revolver you see , and this hapless Doomsday Drifting Hillbilly has brought a razor to a gun fight ! Man wins but the shot alerts the other scavengers and there is an all night chase set in motion ! We learn that The Revolver only had two shells left in it , and Man was sort of saving those for him and Boy , if things got too dreary to go on !! (Options ! Options !) Now , there is only one shell left ! And Believe You Me !! Thats not a good position to be in in the wasteland !!!

"Got A Heater In My Truck !!"

        Okay ! Okay ! So I'm sure you're all getting the Idea of the bleakness of this flick ! The Road is one of the more Realistic Apocalypse film's out there . If you're looking for Dune Buggies and Wasteland car chases , head to Australia !! The film is based on Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name . I urge you to read it if you haven't already . Read it after you see the film , as the book is better . Don't get me wrong , the flick is great , but , books usually win , for all you non readers out there . There are moments in the film that aren't dreary . A scene where Man and Boy share a Coke and a smile comes to mind . However , McCarthy put together a very stark tale of what life would be like after the End . All those who have visions of hunting vermin and riding around in hot rods after Judgment Day , looking for water , Bullets and that last scrap of Eden , must watch this flick .
  
           But don't take my word for it Fright Fans ! Check it out for yourself !!
I am , as always , just a humble reviewer .

                     And Remember .......................................


                            After the Shear light and low Concussions .......................


                                  Keep away from the strangely chanting nomads on the hill tops ...........


                                        and if you can ............... Stay off The Road  !