Bleaker than bleak, the film version of Cormac McCarthy's book is an exercise in (mostly) hopelessness and depression. But then why did I give it a 4 rating? It is so well done, and Viggo Mortensen is so good, you can almost celebrate it for how awful it can make you feel. My favorite movies evoke some kind of powerful emotional response, and this one fits the bill as we follow a father and son, clinging to their humanity in a world that tries so hard to reduce them to soul-less savages who will do anything to survive.

The viewer never learns much about why the world has gone to hell, and it manages to keep the more stomach-churning elements on the peripheral (I really appreciate films that know how to keep you going while not being so literal/in your face about what's going on). It was fascinating to me to watch things unfold while thinking "this can't possibly end well, can it?", while still rooting for the heroes of the story to somehow find salvation against all odds.

I came out of the theater feeling bummed, but I also honestly felt appreciative of what I have in life. It's hard to recommend a movie like this, but nonetheless, I really feel it needs to be seen to appreciate what a well-realized adaption this is. (12/10/2009)