A tough and determined man (superbly played with fierce resolve and conviction by Viggo Mortensen) and his frightened young son (a fine portrayal by Kodi Smit-McPhee) embark on a perilous journey across a barren and dangerous wasteland as they attempt to find safety in a bleak and hostile post-apocalyptic world. The pair encounter numerous obstacles such as deadly cannibals and roving hordes of scavengers on their pilgrimage.

Director John Hillcoat vividly captures a potently brooding atmosphere of pervasive dread, despair, and utter hopelessness. Joe Penhall's stark and intelligent script smartly addresses the basic human need to survive and persevere without compromising one's morals or losing one's humanity in the process, with the strong bond of love between the father and his son providing a tremendous amount of gut-wrenching poignancy. The ace acting by the top-drawer cast keeps this movie on track: Charlize Theron as the father's bitter and defeated wife, Guy Pearce as a kindly veteran, Michael Kenneth Williams as a desperate thief, Garrett Dillahunt as a creepy gang member, and, in an especially bravura turn, Robert Duvall as a weary and rundown old man. Javier Aguirresarobe's gloomy widescreen cinematography gives this picture an appropriately grayish look and offers a wealth of striking shots of a desolate landscape rife with decaying trees, crumbling buildings, and rusty abandoned cars. The moody and melancholy score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis further enhances the overall dreary tone. An absolute powerhouse.