Review of The Road (2009) by Spangle — 15 Aug 2014
This one is very impressive. I am not a huge fan of John Hillcoat's, but his direction here is good as usual and he really manages to tell quite the beautiful and tragic story here. Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee are phenomenal.
Robert Duvall, Charlize Theron, Michael K. Williams, Guy Pearce, and Molly Parker, all have very small roles here, but all are good in their roles and really make the film all the more tragic. Unrelentingly bleak, the worst (best?) part of this one is how it will give you a glimmer of hope from time to time and then it just rips your heart out again and steps on it.
This makes the somewhat hopeful ending, almost depressing, since you know the positive will not last forever. This one is gorgeously filmed and it really shows how much beauty there is, even when things are going bad.
Each shot, with its largely gray and bleak colorization, is breathtaking and, for me, is the true star of this film. While the acting is great, the cinematography is the true powerhouse here. The story is also solid, even if bleak.
As a whole, the end result for this film is pretty good. It is not an amazing film, but it is most certainly powerful, beautiful, tragic, and filled with despair, all of which make it one that is tough to watch, but make for a good watch all the same.
This review of The Road (2009) was written by Spangle on 15 Aug 2014.
The Road has generally received positive reviews.
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