The Road (2009)

The Road rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb7.2/10· 268K votes

Rotten Tomatoes74%

Metacritic64%

TMDb7.017/10· 4K votes

With 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 7.2/10 on IMDb and 64/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been positive.

About The Road

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind and water. It is cold enough to crack stones and, when the snow falls, it is gray. Their destination is the warmer south, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there.

Cast of The Road

• 

  Viggo Mortensen

  as Father

• 

  Kodi Smit-McPhee

  as Boy

• 

  Charlize Theron

  as Mother

• 

  Robert Duvall

  as Old Man - Eli

• 

  Guy Pearce

  as Veteran

• 

  Molly Parker

  as Friendly Woman

• 

  Michael Kenneth Williams

  as The Thief

• 

  Garret Dillahunt

  as Gang Member

• 

  Bob Jennings

  as Bearded Man

• 

  Buddy Sosthand

  as Archer

• 

  Agnes Herrmann

  as Archer's Woman

• K

  Kirk Brown

  as Bearded Face

The Road facts

Budget

$32M

Box office

$27.6M

Our take on The Road

John Hillcoat's 2009 drama follows a father and his young son as they walk alone through a burned, ash-choked America, where nothing moves in the ruined landscape and even the falling snow is gray. Heading south toward warmth with no certainty of what waits, the two cling to each other and to a fragile sense of decency amid cold and scarcity. Grim, quiet, and emotionally punishing, this adventure drama is less about incident than endurance, love, and the will to keep going. It suits viewers open to bleak, contemplative post-apocalyptic storytelling and a deeply moving parent-child bond. Anyone seeking action or hope in easy supply should be prepared for something far harsher.