We finally got around to watching The Road this past weekend. I wasn’t expecting much heading into it, given Viggo Mortensen’s horrendous performances in just about everything that he’s done since The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m happy to report, however, that I was pleasantly surprised. He played his character well.

Too well, in fact.

The Road is a depressing film. It’s set in a post-apocalyptic world where the only survivors rape, murder, and cannibalize each other to survive. Mortensen plays a nameless father to a young, naive son. The film follows their seemingly hopeless trek to the southern coast, where they hope to find relief and refuge from the rapidly decaying and increasingly dangerous environment in which most of the movie takes place. It falls very much in line with The Book of Eli in terms of style but the story was something of absolute desperation.

I was particularly impressed by Robert Duvall’s cameo. I had no idea it was him until he spoke for the first time. I was also thoroughly impressed by Charlize Theron’s part in Mortensen’s pre-apocalypse flashbacks scattered throughout the movie. (Theron was his wife.)

My only real complaint about the movie was the lack of depth in the young boy’s character. I can’t put a finger on it but something was definitely missing. Otherwise, The Road was a fantastic movie – if a bit depressing – and is absolutely worth seeing if you haven’t, already.