We all know movies can be a tremendous letdown if the source material (generally a book) was very good. And in fact, the film adaptation of "The Road" got mixed reviews, though perhaps some of those were unfair. There’s not much dialogue in Cormac McCarthy’s book about a man and boy trying to survive in a world ruined by some undefined apocalypse, and thus not much of his prose made it to the screen. But isn't that the job of the screenwriter and, for that matter, the director? To make the images tell the story?
True, the movie version of "The Road" is quite spare. Director John Hillcoat could have chosen to add narration to his film, but he didn’t, and he was wise to refrain. His gray, charred, monochromatic -- and strangely beautiful -- frames are the visual equivalent of McCarthy’s prose.
The other advantage he has is Viggo Mortensen as the man. Now, I’m biased because Viggo is one of my favorite actors; I thought he was spectacular in “A History of Violence.” Here, I simply don’t really know how to praise him. He starved himself for this role, did other things for this performance, and it shows. His eyes, throughout this film, are the eyes of what is good and true in humanity. And he gives us this portrayal without a shred of sentimentality and with no suggestion of exaggerated nobility.