The Road

For me, watching John Hillcoat's "The Road" after having read Cormac McCarthy's novel was a unique experience. I've never seen a film that so perfectly captured what I had pictured in my mind as I read the book. Part of that might be chalked up to the fact that I had seen some production stills of the film before starting the book, so my imagination was already colored with a grey palette. But I don't think that accounts for all of it. There's something about the language McCarthy uses in the novel that removes any room for interpretation. The descriptions are incredibly vivid yet at the same time the economy and simplicity of the language is very poetic.

Aside from one small misstep at the end, I would say this has to be the most faithful adaptation of a novel I have ever seen. I don't know if I should give too much creative credit to Hillcoat. He doesn't really put his personal stamp on anything, but after watching his debut feature "The Proposition" it's as if he was born to direct this film. I do have to give him credit for not compromising the gruesome and bleak nature of the story. Try as they might, the trailers attempt to make it look like an action packed adventure with the beautiful Charlize Theron at the center of it, despite the fact that she's in the film for no more than ten minutes. I know they are having trouble selling this to American audiences and the studio probably won't make the budget back on this one unless it gets some Oscar buzz soon. It's a film that certainly deserves some recognition and will be near the top of my best of 2009 list. But it's so grim that it's not something I'd be willing to watch again very soon.