The Road
Directed by John Hillcoat
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.
Where to Watch The Road
The Road Ratings & Reviews
- Patrick D.May 2, 2026This review is for those of you who have read the book. I just finished the book and I hate to say it... This film doesn't do it justice. I so badly wanted this to be good. It has B-movie moments here and there, but I don't really hold that against it too much. One of the big issues is the breakneck speed they go through the story at. They don't take the time to build each event up and there's not enough context around the major story beats that take place because of it. Everything just ends up being disjointed clips that jump from thing to thing. They almost all end up lacking the impact you get in the book. Mind you, the book is a 5/5 imo so they really needed to tap into McCormac's descriptive atmosphere to pull this movie off because it's a slow burn as it is. You can't rush stories like this. I wasn't a huge fan of the acting either. I think this is the classic book/movie feud going on in my head, but I just don't like the delivery of a lot of the lines, particularly the emotional parts and a lot of the conversations between the man and the boy. Viggo Mortensen was surprisingly soft and the boy was just alright I guess. I will say that they nailed a lot of the little details about the setting, though. Kudos to them for that. I'd say just read the book and definitely don't watch this before reading it. Go in blind and thank me later. Maybe watch this afterwards for fun.
- "THE MOVIE FANATIC"April 5, 2026The Road - is a very powerful, accurate & realistic take on how the world would be with the aftermath of a Nuclear War. And I find this movie very frightening & disturbing that just 💯 stays with you long after the credits have rolled. Because this really could happen there's wars going on, all the time all over the world and this film does stop and make you think how vulnerable our world and life as a whole really is and it could be taken from us within an instant a very thought provoking film in that sense. I thought how this movie was lit was absolutely spot on. I 💯 believed and bought that this was a post apocalyptic world all the way through, alongside this films gorgeous cinematography as well. The acting from Viggo Mortensen & Kodi Smit-McPhee are fantastic, they really did feel like an actual father and son its so believable & convincing. The Road is a film that I can't recommend & praise enough!! This has to be the most underrated movie of the 2000's decade, its so breathtaking to look at from start to finish. I was so invested and enarmoured with The Road, its such a great and a very well done movie. 👏👏👏👏👏
- ርልዪረFebruary 28, 2026"You must think I'm from another world." The Road is a story about the bonding and survival of a father and son through a hopeless and barren wasteland. The film is bleak, depressing and somber in its tone and delivery. Food and other resources are scarce, those left must scavenge what they find in their travels to survive. Cannibalism is prevalent in this nightmare world where groups of miscreants prey upon the helpless. The Road is an immersive experience so serene, sensorial, and flowing that when we experience excruciatingly emotional, hair-raising, or gut-wrenching moments, we haven't even seen them coming, and when we have, they've already crept upon us. With every trait of every department, the result is utter simplicity, utter docility, no fluctuation in the face of whatever brutality or emotional quakes, making them all that much more profoundly moving. The dialogue is so restrained, the story so elemental and straightforward, that all of the primal feelings it evokes transcend any limitations of characters and images.
- Pascal BollierJanuary 9, 2026bleak and harrowing do not begin to describe this movie. relief is only found in memories, which paradoxically, intensify the hopelessness of the present. viggo is fantastic in bringing across this sense of despair while trying to be as optimistic as possible for his son. the movie stays with you for a while, at least it did for me. Recommended!
- Magnus CarlbaumJuly 7, 2025The Road is a gut punch wrapped in barbed wire. Unforgiving. Unflinching. Make no mistake - this is one of the most depressing movies you will ever see. But does that make it bad? No. In fact, it is a great movie. It is about a flickering and dying hope. A beautiful tale about a man and his son under the most dire circumstances imaginable. And you have to ask yourself: How far would You walk the road?
- atkins902September 2, 2025The apocalyptic setting makes this a very grueling watch, but it's emotionally powerful and rewarding for having gone on the journey... especially if you are a father or mother. Highly recommend reading the book first and then watching the movie to see what 2 hours they decided to highlight. Overall a great job on a nearly impossible task of trying to show and not tell when 80% of the book itself is narration about motives and feelings.
Watch The Road Videos
The Road Trivia
The Road was released on December 2, 2009.
The Road was directed by John Hillcoat.
The Road has a runtime of 1h 51m.
The Road was produced by Nick Wechsler, Paula Mae Schwartz, Steve Schwartz.
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.
The key characters in The Road are Father (Viggo Mortensen), Boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Mother (Charlize Theron).
The Road is rated R.
The Road is a Drama, Adventure, Thriller film.
The Road has an audience rating of 6.8 out of 10.
The Road had a budget of $32M.
The Road has made $27.6M at the box office.