THE ROAD (USA 2009) ***
Directed by John Hillcoat

Director John Hillcoat (THE PROPOSITION) proves again his mettle at drama in barren landscapes with this tale of the end of the world based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Cormac McCarthy. 

But nothing is new here.  Fires burn on the outskirts of the city, savages hunt for food, clothing and shelter; protagonist searches for some meaning a midst chaos and the skies are grey and vegetation has been destroyed.  But father (an unrecognizable Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-PcPhee) etch out a living travelling THE ROAD the best they can.  Nothing exceptional about the story but the film’s saving grace is the exceptional grey cinematography of the end of the world.  Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce guest star as vagabonds.  Hillcoat turns up the emotional factor several notches up towards the end. 

But there is nothing in this film that matches the brilliance and sarcasm of Hillcoat’s previous movie THE PROPOSITION.