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Capone walks THE ROAD to nowhere, and admires its flawed effectiveness!!!

Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

What is it with all of these end-of-days movies? A couple weeks ago, it was 2012, and early into next year, we have LEGION (which I guess technically counts as pre-apocalypse) with Paul Bettany, and THE BOOK OF ELI, starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. And while 2012 is about hope and action in the face of near-certain death, author Cormac (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) McCarthy's THE ROAD is about something much more serious and believable--the final existence of life on Earth. Existing in a world set afire by unnamed forces (the biblical undercurrent runs very close to the surface here), this story is about the lengths people would go to when they are starving, when all the planet's animals are dead, water is poison, and the only meat available to them is that of other human beings. THE ROAD is certainly the grimmest movie of 2009, but there's an elegance and dignity to this telling of the novel (directed by THE PROPOSITION helmer John Hillcoat and adapted by Joe Penhall) that also makes it a work of great beauty in its own grey and haunting manner.

Viggo Mortensen plays Man (none of the characters have actual names), a stoic but loving father to Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee). The pair are walking skeletons making their way through America in search of anything to eat. Mortensen vows to never resort to cannibalism, but he also promises himself that if he and his son are ever in a situation where they themselves might be eaten, he will kill them with his only weapon, a pistol with a few bullets remaining. They make every effort to avoid all contact with other people, assuming they would be easy targets with scavengers. But as you might expect in a movie called THE ROAD, the many obstacles on the journey is the whole point. During the quieter moments as they drift in and out of sleep, Man has dreams/memories about his wife (known as Woman, played with the appropriate level of growing desperation by Charlize Theron). We see them on the day the world cataclysm begins, their reaction to the early days of the crisis, and how she ends up not traveling with them. It's as heartbreaking to watch as anything in a story filled with one heartbreak after another.

Along their journey to who knows where, perhaps somewhere they think there might be food or at least warmer temperatures, Man and Boy do come across several other people. Every person they meet holds their cards close, and often when they reveal even a little bit of their true nature, things get awfully horrifying. Garret Dillahunt plays Gang Member, who spots the pair and is clearly hungry for boy meat (perhaps in more ways than one). Michael Kenneth Williams (better known as Omar Little on "The Wire") plays The Thief and the still great Robert Duvall is Old Man, who can barely see or walk, but insists on traveling alone rather than risk his safety with the father and son. The two also come across unnamed characters who live in what can only be described as a house of death, in one of the scariest sequences in the move. Guy Pearce and Molly Parker arrive late in the story, offering the closest thing to hope Man and Boy have seen since this mess began. There's another sequence where the two find what appears to be a fallout shelter stocked with months' worth of food, water and other supplies, but all good things must come to an end.

The individual run-ins in THE ROAD aren't really the point. What I liked best about the film are the in between father-son moments, where Mortensen is attempting to teach Boy survival, thinking, common sense and self defense, even though the kid is clearly in a constant mild state of shock and barely speaks. I'm not entirely sure that newcomer Smit-McPhee was the greatest choice for the role of Boy, but he certainly doesn't play the role the way a lot of more seasoned Hollywood child actors might have. His fear comes across as exceedingly real, and that's the key.

As he did with THE PROPOSITION, director Hillcoat has built a complete landscape and backdrop for his characters to inhabit and react to. This one is all about utter bleakness. You will likely come out of THE ROAD depressed and hungry, and that would mean that Hillcoat has done his job admirably. It may be a challenge to identify or connect with these characters (even Man and Boy), but when you do and you even attempt to imagine what their "lives" are like in this world, your heart will ache. As I often do with movies, I tried to imagine how I would handle existing under these desolate conditions, and I actually had to stop myself from doing so because I knew I would have been dead long before the events in this movie take place. That's a tough burden to bear as audience member, but I think the experience is worth it.

THE ROAD is an emotional journey unlike any other this year, primarily because by nature of the story it never stops being oppressively heavy. Man and Boy aren't looking for a place where all of their needs will be fulfilled; they know there is no such place. We have to imagine they are seeking a place to die comfortable, where human vultures won't devour them upon their deaths. That's pretty bleak for a holiday release, but anchored on the strength of Mortensen's performance and a visual context unlike any I've seen, THE ROAD succeeds at capturing the proper mood and emotionally weighty backdrop required for such a story. It's heavy stuff, folks, but when you come out the other side and walk back out into the world, you may see it in an entirely different light.



-- Capone
therealcapone@aintitcoolmail.com
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Yes, great flick!
by Cletus Van Damme
Nov 25th, 2009
11:49:35 AM
ready to see thjis
by Uncle_Pooch
Nov 25th, 2009
11:52:25 AM
Great book
by toshiro-solo
Nov 25th, 2009
11:59:53 AM
THE ROAD brings up two important philosophical...
by FlickaPoo
Nov 25th, 2009
12:01:25 PM
When Is This Out In Ireland??
by FreeBeer
Nov 25th, 2009
12:06:53 PM
CAN NOT WAIT
by slone13
Nov 25th, 2009
12:10:19 PM
Soundtrack sucks a bit
by Shoegeezer
Nov 25th, 2009
12:11:44 PM
I'll def catch this one
by ZombieHeathLedger
Nov 25th, 2009
12:12:00 PM
Yes!
by c4andmore
Nov 25th, 2009
12:19:57 PM
Can Herzog make Blood Meridian next?
by food_fight
Nov 25th, 2009
12:19:58 PM
Looking forward to it as well
by TK_421
Nov 25th, 2009
12:21:39 PM
The Boy should have been the kid from TDK and the Mist...
by ebonic_plague
Nov 25th, 2009
12:21:48 PM
The book was a downer
by Rupee88
Nov 25th, 2009
12:28:13 PM
Bleak bleak bleak!
by sapno_krei
Nov 25th, 2009
12:37:57 PM
Why isn't this in a wider release?
by The Dum Guy
Nov 25th, 2009
12:41:22 PM
You're an idiot Flick...
by Skyway Moaters
Nov 25th, 2009
12:43:06 PM
Blood Meridian
by frongbak
Nov 25th, 2009
12:56:56 PM
Ebonic....GOOD CALL
by IndustryKiller!
Nov 25th, 2009
12:58:52 PM
hope it's better than No Country
by Gidney
Nov 25th, 2009
01:10:36 PM
Can't wait
by inkingeekX
Nov 25th, 2009
01:13:58 PM
DAMN
by Karl Childers
Nov 25th, 2009
01:14:28 PM
brilliant novel...excited to see this
by FleshMachine
Nov 25th, 2009
01:20:00 PM
Read the Road this summer
by gavdiggity
Nov 25th, 2009
01:20:13 PM
Man? Woman? He? She?
by TheBaxter
Nov 25th, 2009
01:21:20 PM
..."goofy shit about characters with no names"...
by FlickaPoo
Nov 25th, 2009
01:24:31 PM
Keven Smith Does a Cameo...
by cookylamoo
Nov 25th, 2009
01:28:01 PM
You're right Karl Childers (where does your handle...
by Skyway Moaters
Nov 25th, 2009
01:28:38 PM
FreeBeer
by Soliok
Nov 25th, 2009
01:30:50 PM
cant wait to see this.
by Turd Furgeson
Nov 25th, 2009
01:34:11 PM
Does Viggo have a Zombieland-style set of rules?
by Frisco
Nov 25th, 2009
01:36:21 PM
If Kevin Smith was caught by the cannibals...
by ZombieHeathLedger
Nov 25th, 2009
01:36:53 PM
Skyway Moaters....
by Karl Childers
Nov 25th, 2009
01:40:04 PM
I love it
by Series7
Nov 25th, 2009
01:40:15 PM
Repetitive
by thommcg
Nov 25th, 2009
01:42:46 PM
So did use
by Series7
Nov 25th, 2009
01:43:29 PM
No monsters...
by thommcg
Nov 25th, 2009
01:45:51 PM
No CGI Monsters needed...
by Karl Childers
Nov 25th, 2009
01:48:07 PM
...Skyway Moaters, I assume you're referring to...
by FlickaPoo
Nov 25th, 2009
01:51:14 PM

by Azby
Nov 25th, 2009
02:05:07 PM
I was refering to
by Series7
Nov 25th, 2009
02:06:08 PM
It's all about the Baby Boomers
by tatoosh
Nov 25th, 2009
02:08:26 PM
Grea, another end of the world type movie?
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 25th, 2009
02:12:36 PM
tatoosh
by Azby
Nov 25th, 2009
02:12:44 PM
...tatoosh, I couldn't agree more...
by FlickaPoo
Nov 25th, 2009
02:28:18 PM
The ROAD!!
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 25th, 2009
02:38:46 PM
Road Warrrior.........
by RighteousBrother
Nov 25th, 2009
02:44:34 PM
UK release date?
by Ray Gamma
Nov 25th, 2009
02:50:06 PM
Damn you Capone!!!!
by skimn
Nov 25th, 2009
02:50:27 PM
Sounds like the cure for optimism.
by cookylamoo
Nov 25th, 2009
02:56:39 PM
Yet you loved Ninja Assassin?? Go figs
by RequisiteMonkey
Nov 25th, 2009
02:57:20 PM
Capone, you didn't mention how the trailer is cut
by skimn
Nov 25th, 2009
03:00:12 PM
Sounds good
by ToshiroShimura
Nov 25th, 2009
03:08:37 PM
Excited to see this one...
by DocMHumphrey
Nov 25th, 2009
03:24:43 PM
Sounds like Silent Hill
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 25th, 2009
03:32:59 PM
DocMHumphrey
by The Dum Guy
Nov 25th, 2009
03:33:09 PM
'Infamous' scene ommitted
by thommcg
Nov 25th, 2009
04:08:42 PM

by Onin Solstice
Nov 25th, 2009
04:39:29 PM
fuck Nick Cave
by animas
Nov 25th, 2009
04:50:17 PM
Oi fucko
by Semen Stains
Nov 25th, 2009
05:05:19 PM
coooooooooooooooooool
by Semen Stains
Nov 25th, 2009
05:29:14 PM
"Baby: the other other white meat"
by Rocco Curioso
Nov 25th, 2009
05:51:08 PM
Flickapoo
by tatoosh
Nov 25th, 2009
05:52:06 PM
UK release date
by entelechy
Nov 25th, 2009
06:14:17 PM
Yeah-Capone fails to mention that The Boy
by Megan_Foxs_Tool_Box
Nov 25th, 2009
08:04:02 PM
...tatoosh...
by FlickaPoo
Nov 25th, 2009
08:21:22 PM
Limited release?
by skellngtn
Nov 25th, 2009
08:32:13 PM
oh, and Weinstein...
by skellngtn
Nov 25th, 2009
08:38:42 PM
Good "Road" Movies
by FreeBeer
Nov 25th, 2009
08:43:49 PM
Play by Play Review
by DangerDave
Nov 25th, 2009
09:01:06 PM
This would have made a great Stanley Kubrick film!
by ExcaliburFfolkes
Nov 25th, 2009
09:50:27 PM
Don't forget "Road"house
by WerePlatypus
Nov 25th, 2009
09:50:55 PM
Too bad it's still not playing anywhere
by kafka07
Nov 25th, 2009
09:59:06 PM
*sigh*
by tatoosh
Nov 25th, 2009
10:10:16 PM
admires it's flawed effectiveness
by Squilookle
Nov 25th, 2009
10:43:51 PM
Tatoosh
by reagon
Nov 26th, 2009
01:13:39 AM
It's EXACTLY like that Kevin Costner movie
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 26th, 2009
01:14:44 AM
Tatoosh
by SK229
Nov 26th, 2009
01:59:37 AM
oh what a surprise lockesbrokenleg doesn't like this
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 26th, 2009
03:56:01 AM
i suspect...
by Aquanaut
Nov 26th, 2009
05:59:45 AM
Anyone interested in tatoosh's theory on baby boomers.
by InActionMan
Nov 26th, 2009
07:31:12 AM
I've got the book on hold at the library
by Grammaton Cleric Binks
Nov 26th, 2009
09:49:25 AM
Can't wait to watch this movie
by AsimovLives
Nov 26th, 2009
10:51:48 AM
liesandpicturesofalsolies
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 26th, 2009
11:20:44 AM
AsimovLives
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 26th, 2009
11:25:17 AM
Grammaton Cleric Binks
by maelstrom_ZERO
Nov 26th, 2009
11:40:23 AM
lockesbrokenleg, you think SF is just spaceships and lazers???
by AsimovLives
Nov 26th, 2009
11:55:56 AM
AsimovLives
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 26th, 2009
12:02:51 PM
Sounds like the perfect Thanksgiving flick...
by ReportAbuse
Nov 26th, 2009
01:02:44 PM
Saw this last night..Read the book a while back..
by mr dark
Nov 26th, 2009
01:20:41 PM
Unfilmable?
by Thunderbolt Ross
Nov 26th, 2009
02:34:25 PM
Much more intriguing than Avatar!
by jaysin420
Nov 26th, 2009
07:13:31 PM
Your typical elitest 'BAD' film
by tailhook
Nov 26th, 2009
10:24:39 PM
tailhook
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 26th, 2009
10:39:47 PM
Guy Pierce Is Most Underrated
by FreeBeer
Nov 26th, 2009
10:45:04 PM
I Hate That There's Cannibals In This
by FreeBeer
Nov 26th, 2009
10:47:06 PM
Guy Pierce Is Most Underrated indeed....
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
05:32:33 AM
The Road isn't for everyone.
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
06:04:44 AM
lockesbrokenleg
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
06:12:54 AM
lockesbrokenleg
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
06:18:11 AM
liesandpicturesofalsolies
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
06:20:05 AM
liesandpicturesofalsolies
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
06:31:24 AM
AsimovLives
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
06:39:33 AM
AsimovLives
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
06:46:37 AM
liesandpicturesofalsolies
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
07:03:58 AM
As for Lost, i can't give a shit about it
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
07:07:25 AM
AsimovLives
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
07:24:08 AM
liesandpicturesofalsolies
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
09:15:05 AM
liesandpicturesofsolies, TESTIFY!!!!!
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
09:28:54 AM
And Quinto=Mediocre Actor
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
09:31:54 AM
Now Let's Stop Talking About Star Trek Forever
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
09:33:13 AM
Most Anticipated Sci-fi Movies
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
09:34:59 AM
Oh, and "Mute" of course
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
09:35:36 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:01:58 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:09:05 AM
That's Why I Said "
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:15:54 AM
Did You Not Read My Post??
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:18:02 AM
Asimov, Thought You Said You Don't Attack People
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:21:25 AM
As for THE ROAD, i call it antidote
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:22:20 AM
you're Just As Bad As lockebrokenleg My Friend
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:22:24 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:28:42 AM
Urban in Star Trek=Revelation
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:29:59 AM
Asimov, alright saying that but..
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:31:41 AM
Whatever, The Road Will Own Us All
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:32:23 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:35:37 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
11:48:33 AM
Not A Mystery
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:49:00 AM
The Way You Imply People Are Unintelligent
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:52:11 AM
Mark my words...
by tailhook
Nov 27th, 2009
02:14:43 PM
tailhook
by The Dum Guy
Nov 27th, 2009
02:28:24 PM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 27th, 2009
02:56:14 PM
I'll give you this, Tailhook.
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
Nov 27th, 2009
03:18:56 PM
AsimovLives
by lockesbrokenleg
Nov 27th, 2009
03:36:35 PM
I thought it stunk
by CherryValance
Nov 27th, 2009
06:07:38 PM
tailhook
by CherryValance
Nov 27th, 2009
06:18:26 PM
You Don't Need To Imply A Films Audience Are Dumb Asimov..
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
08:35:22 PM
the only 'road' lockesbrokenleg is familiar with...
by theKRELL
Nov 27th, 2009
10:29:12 PM
Wanna See The Road cos Hillcoat and cast..
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
10:57:39 PM
Oh My Good Jesus, Did You Actually say That?
by FreeBeer
Nov 27th, 2009
11:02:03 PM
I get what Asimovlives was saying...
by spectrebeeyatch
Nov 28th, 2009
02:47:53 AM
lockesbrokenleg
by AsimovLives
Nov 28th, 2009
04:59:24 AM
spectrebeeyatch
by AsimovLives
Nov 28th, 2009
05:03:45 AM
FreeBeer
by AsimovLives
Nov 28th, 2009
05:08:21 AM
Jesus Asimov
by FreeBeer
Nov 28th, 2009
11:27:03 AM
One More Thing
by FreeBeer
Nov 28th, 2009
11:39:23 AM
Let's just all chant: "JJ's STAR TREK IS GREAT...
by Skyway Moaters
Nov 28th, 2009
11:50:58 AM
Oh, A Very Appropriate That You Pinched A Quote
by FreeBeer
Nov 28th, 2009
12:02:42 PM
Yes Skyway
by FreeBeer
Nov 28th, 2009
12:03:36 PM
What do you guys expect...
by DrMorbius
Nov 28th, 2009
03:21:55 PM
Just saw it...
by ndoty_sa
Nov 29th, 2009
02:28:09 AM
SPOILERS - not sure what to think of the film
by belledame
Nov 29th, 2009
06:27:08 AM

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