The Book of Eli

The Book Of Eli

Denzel Washington is surely one of Hollywood's most consistent actors. Even when he's appearing in a true cinematic flop, Washington always seems to perform with subtlety and intelligence.

Unfortunately the same can't be said for his movie choices. While his performances are always worth watching, the films themselves vary widely in quality, and in recent times there have been some true stinkers.

If only his critical skills were as sharp as his acting talents.

The sci-fi movies on his CV have supplied some of the lowest moments in the past, but The Book Of Eli isn't quite as forgettable as it might appear. Sure, there are still plenty of problems - including a Bible-thumping plot and a borderline-ridiculous last minute twist - but at least it remains entertaining from start to finish. For once a lazy, derivative script doesn't have to be the end of the story.

Naturally Denzel gives an eye-catching performance in the lead role, but The Book Of Eli is also helped by the inclusion of Gary Oldman, a surefire bet for some on-screen fireworks. Oldman hams it up with gusto, and alongside Denzel's understated restraint he helps turn a mediocre post-apocalyptic religious fable into a surprisingly engaging action movie.

It's thirty years since an unspecified event turned the world into a deserted wasteland, and in many ways The Book Of Eli plays out like a muscular postscript to The Road. Eli (Washington) wanders America's devastated highways alone, following a voice that tells him to head westwards with a book that he has in his possession. Eli may look like a desperate bum, but in actual fact he's a man on a mission - and he's not afraid to kick ass along the way.

His life changes, however, when he wanders into a fledgling settlement, ruled over by educated thug Carnegie (Oldman). Along with his imposing henchman (Ray Stevenson), Carnegie calls the shots in town, but he's desperately searching for a book that he believes will secure his future empire. When he hears about Eli's prized tome his interest is immediately piqued.

Eli quickly takes to the road again with his new sidekick Solara (Mila Kunis), but Carnegie isn't prepared to give up that easily. They end up playing a game of cat and mouse in an environment that's almost as dangerous as Carnegie himself.

We've already mentioned the eye-popping double-act of Washington and Oldman at the film's core, and the rest of the cast give capable supporting performances around them, although no-one truly shines. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits appears in a gnarly cameo as a helpful engineer, and watch out for Brits Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour as an unlikely cannibal couple.

Beyond the central performances, however, the story degenerates into the kind of religious fable that would usually be reserved for the Faith Network, and its jumbled message does nothing to lift an already derivative script. The Hughes Brothers display the same eye for visual detail that made From Hell such a sleeper hit, but their ears seem deaf to so many dialogue clunkers that you have to wonder whether they read the script at all.

The Book Of Eli still offers some butt-kicking action in a striking depiction of a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but ultimately the screenplay isn't even as convincing as Denzel's martial arts. A fun addition to the genre, but not as groundbreaking as it seems to think.

3/5

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli - Directed by The Hughes Brothers, starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, and Mila Kunis - Rated R

The Evil Kurgan loves the apocalypse.


It seems that Hollywood is obsessed with the apocalypse these days. Over the past year I’ve seen Knowing, Terminator: Salvation, The Road, Zombieland, 2012, and now The Book of Eli. Let’s face it, people want to see what might happen if the world ends. Would we turn to cannibalism? Would we loot and pillage? Would we lose our humanity? These questions have been covered by most of these films, but, surprisingly, religion has taken a backseat in the Hollywood apocalypse. To be fair, Knowing had a religious aspect to it, but it was slightly open to interpretation.



The trend of ignoring religion during the end times has changed with The Book of Eli. If you’ve seen the previews, you know that the eponymous book is in fact the Holy Bible. In the film, a war tore a hole in the sky and brought on a gray world (the film nearly looks black and white). The Bible was blamed for this war and all copies of the book were burned. Well, almost all of them. Eli (Denzel Washington) has the last copy and he’s trying to take it west.


Eli walks a scorched earth alone. The road is populated with cannibals, though, waiting to ambush lone walkers. But Eli gets by okay. He’s insanely deadly with a bow and arrow and all manner of guns, but he is an artist with his razor sharp machete. Needless to say, The Book of Eli has a number of brutal action scenes. The action isn’t groundbreaking or anything, but it is entertaining. One shootout in particular is Michael Bay-worthy. The action is vital to the film because the story does start to drag a bit when Eli makes his way to town.


In the town, Eli comes across the ruthless Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie runs the town with an iron fist (he controls the precious water supply) and he uses his power to send out road crews to search for the last copy of the Bible, in hopes of using it for ill gains, of course. This is where Eli meets Solara (Mila Kunis) who insists on tagging along with Eli.

Solara is meant to be an important character and she is supposed to represent a vital theme in regards to the Bible and how it tells you to lead your life. But I thought this fell flat a bit. I think the film is strong enough with only Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman going head to head.


The flaws in Solara’s character are due to writing, not acting. Kunis does an okay job in the film. She just pales in comparison to heavyweights like Washington and Oldman. Washington has become one of the most dependable actors in Hollywood. You know you’re going to see at least a decent movie if he’s involved. His screen presence is unmatched. Oldman is great as usual, though I would have liked to see more eccentricities in his character. Carnegie, as a character, is kind of plain, but Oldman punches it up a bit. The supporting players aren’t bad in this film, either. Ray Stevenson makes for a decent second-in-command. And Tom Waits and Michael Gambon lighten the mood of the film here and there.


The lightening of the mood is a very refreshing aspect of the film. Most apocalyptic films are deadly serious, which is natural, but movies are meant to be entertaining for the most part and it’s nice to laugh occasionally, even in the face of disaster. Don’t get me wrong, though, The Book of Eli is not a comedy. It just has a couple of moments that provide a laugh or two.


The comedy and the religion are refreshing aspects of the film, but the style of the film isn’t exactly original. I can’t help but compare it to The Road. Both films offer a scorched earth as a setting and the opening scenes of Eli walking alone could almost be confused with footage from that other apocalyptic film. But your options are a bit limited when it comes to the end of the world. There’s bound to be some overlap. It may not be the freshest look in film, but it does look great and the Hughes Brothers (the directing duo) create some beautiful shots that match up to the powerful score.


The Book of Eli offers some elements that I found amusing in the crowded post-apocalyptic genre. First off, it’s basically a western. You have shootouts in the middle of town, saloons populated with grungy highwaymen, and even a shot or two that would fit in perfectly in an old Clint Eastwood western. Second, everyone gets to wear sunglasses, and it’s nice to see that people still like to look cool after the end of the world. To be fair, though, the sunglasses are important since the sun is particularly blinding after the war. Finally, the film has an interesting take on the cannibal issue. According to this film, if you eat too much human meat, you get the shakes and basically turn into a junkie. I thought it was interesting to add a physical reason to avoid cannibalism in addition to the moral complications.


The story of this film really worked for me. I was honestly interested throughout the film. The action kept things exciting, but I wasn’t sitting there waiting for the next action scene. First time screenwriter Gary Whitta has created an interesting debut; it’s not perfect or anything (as I said earlier, Solara’s character needed some work), but it should keep your attention, which is more than you can say for a lot of films these days. Some people might be turned away from the Christian focus of the film, though. The film makes the Bible the only book that matters, not the Torah, the Koran, the Talmud, etc. That might rub non-Christians the wrong way, but I think the film offers enough for people to get past that. For instance, there is a plot element that will make you want to watch the film at least one more time no matter what your religious affiliation is. The writing overcomes any controversial elements and the direction makes it interesting.


The Book of Eli isn’t a groundbreaking post-apocalyptic film, but it is certainly a worthy addition, and an entertaining one at that. It might even make you think a bit and you’ll certainly have plenty to talk about once it’s over, and that alone makes it worth watching.

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Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

Film Review: THE BOOK OF ELI (2010)

RATING 7/10

BOTTOM LINE: Sometimes thought-provoking with its religious and political motifs, “The Book Of Eli” is very watchable, although it is long-winded, with a climax that does not gel too well with the western-style apocalyptic first two acts.

THE GOOD: A very cool-looking, and seemingly invincible Denzel Washington as ‘Eli’ walks along a desolate, and muted landscape, killing those who try to stop him in his quest to travel ‘West’. In this unspecified, and unexplained apocalyptic future, Eli is carrying the last surviving copy of the King James Bible, a book which resident bad guy Carnegie (the always good Gary Oldman) recognises as a weapon which will give him control over all the left over and desperate people on the planet. Before long, the two come to blows. What makes this film interesting is its exploration of using religious ideals to strengthen and motivate political power. Carnegie feels he can brainwash the remaining human population with the book’s words of faith and wisdom. Eli, a seemingly prophet-style character, wants to see the book in the right hands. The dramatic underpinning of this conflict leads to some great action scenes. The first sequence where Eli defends himself from hijackers is spectacular in its look, as Eli chops them to bits with his machete in silhouette. A sequence later when Eli and company are trapped in an old house with Carnegie and his goons blasting it to pieces is very effective, particularly in the use of camera work. Denzel Washington is perfectly cast, and appropriately cool in the role of Eli. Gary Oldman does his usual best as Carnegie, who is effectively the bad sheriff of the only town left standing. The twist at the end where Carnegie discovers that the book is actually useless to him is a great touch. “The Book Of Eli” is a brooding piece, with some great visuals, and has ideas worth exploring.

THE BAD: Despite its engaging themes, cool action and characters, the film overstays its welcome. Some sequences, despite being a delight to watch, become tiresome when they go on for too long, with the opening scene being a good example. There is an unevenness to the proceedings too. Eli is set up as an invincible man, but is stopped eventually when Carnegie works out that shooting him will stop him; why they do not do this in the beginning is any one’s guess. Then there is the ending; it feels almost like an entirely other movie, particularly with the oddly cast Malcolm McDowell showing up as the keeper of the last haven on Earth. What they do with Eli’s character is perhaps quite prophetic and noble, however when the film ends with his side-kick Solara (Mila Kunis) seemingly picking up his mission it seems way too far-fetched. Perhaps the ideas presented exceeded the grasp of the filmmakers, as although they come through, their execution in some parts, such as the ending, do not entirely come off that well.

Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli opens with a day in the life of it’s lead, played by  Denzel Washington.  He’s wandering post-apocalyptic America, scavenging  abandoned houses for supplies etc, eating what he can, seemingly  praying, and listening to Al Green on an MP3 player.

Early on he encounters some bandits. Washington gets a nice bad-ass  line in “If you put your hand on me again you won’t get it back.” In a  silhouette shot we see Eli take out the bandits with a machete. Gore is  present but very fast.
We learn that Eli is heading west, but we don’t know why yet. We see  that although he has great fighting ability, he’s not heroic per-say. He  watches a biker gang kill a man and rape his wife, but Eli does not  stop them, muttering to himself that he must stay on the path.

He comes to a town where we see instead of currency everything is  bartered. KFC wet-naps are prized possessions. The biker gang from the  previous scene arrives and they meet the towns leader Carnegie (Gary  Oldman) and give him some books they’ve scavenged. We see The Davinci  Code and Oprah’s magazine have survived. The gang can’t read so they  don’t know what these books are. Carnegie does (in his opening shot he’s  reading about Mussolini) and says the book he’s really looking for  isn’t here.

The bikers end up fighting Eli anyway over a simple misunderstanding.  After which Carnegie offers his hospitality by letting him stay the  night, hoping he’ll stay longer. He, like Eli, survived the apocalypse  and remembers the “Old World.” Carnegie seems like a swell guy at first,  he gives what may be the last shampoo on earth to a woman named  Claudia, who we might assume to be his wife. He seems loving to her, at  first.  She comes to his room with food and we see that she’s blind. She  can tell he’s not going to stay, so next Carnegie sends Solara, the bar  girl, to seduce him. Claudia, in tears, begs Carnegie not to do this,  and we know why later when we find out Solara is her daughter.  Eli does  not give in, but the two get some exposition in about the state of  things.

Apparently 30 years prior there was some kind of war. Eli remembers  “The world before,” when people had more than they needed, and threw  away things people kill each other for now. This was an effective way of  having an environmental message without beating it over your head like  say, Avatar did. In this scene Eli also teaches Solora how to pray,  something she has no knowledge of. That was a nice touch.

We also learn that Eli is carrying the Bible with him, which maybe  could have been guessed earlier. Eli does quote scripture before  delivering thy whoop-ass (At one point he also quotes Johnny Cash).  Carnegie now shows his true brutal colors and reveals his flaw, greed.  This world is a barren abysmal place, and Carnegie has done quite well  for himself, but he wants more. He thinks if he has the Bible he’ll be  able to control more towns, etc. Just as people were in the old world,  he wants more than he needs.

This is a rare movie in that the inciting incident doesn’t come till  around the 50 minute mark, but now it’s on. Solara runs off with Eli and  the bads chase them for the book.

Eli is not a perfect hero, he comes to realize at times he’s too  caught up in his quest and forgets the actual teachings of the book he’s  protecting.  In a great campfire scene he tells Solara the story of how  after the war he heard a voice inside himself. It led him to the Bible  which was in a pile of rubble. He knew he was to protect this book and  he reads it every day. (After the war people burned all Bibles they  could find, because they thought the Bible caused the war) His faith is  leading him to the west coast. Of course at the end we discover why he’s  going west.

One problem I had midway through was a scene where Eli tries to ditch  Solara by locking her inside something and then continues his journey.  Later we see her on the road. We don’t know how she got out, but she  runs afoul of bandits. Eli saves her, but wouldn’t he have been further  down the road than her? So how could he have ran across her? That  bothered me.
Another thing that bothered me was at the very end Eli says he in  specifically has a King James Version of the Bible. Some Christians  argue a lot over different versions of the bible, and some think that  the King James version is the only correct one. This movie should not  have made issue with which translation Eli had.

We’ve all seen apocalypse movies by now, but this still managed to  add little touches that were unique. Cannibalism is lightly touched on,  never shown. Early on Eli shows his hands to townspeople, we don’t know  why. Later we learn eating human meat makes your hands shake. A later  scene where Eli and Solara meet two cannibals shows this, but it’s not  as tense as it could be.

Still this is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. It’s very  moving and has a great twist at the end . 9.25 out of ten.

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http://jemurr.wordpress.com/<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/user/murmanpoet

Last updated: 2010-04-19 07:50:54 by jemurr

Review: The Book of Eli

Starring Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman
Screenplay by Gary Whitta
118 Minutes
Rated R for some brutal violence and language

The Book of Eli is much like the bajillions of post-apocalyptic landscapes that have been seen in cinemas lately: monotonous, stale and rather predictable. Whether all of this is for artistic or storytelling purposes or not, the tedious traits that would accompany a survivor's life in said conditions make The Book of Eli just another post-end-of-the-world movie.

The Book of Eli is the story of Eli, a journeyman who (pardon my pun) just won't stop believing in his call to go West through a post-apocalyptic America. When his iPod runs out of juice, Eli takes a stop in a town ruled by Carnegie, a fresh water monopolizing man (Gary Oldman) who is searching for one book in particular. And Eli just so happens to have that book (he can read too, which is something not many are able to do). The story probably sounds quite familiar- it should.  Carnegie is a classic minion-utilizing, wife abusing meanie looking for power. Eli is the selfless, quiet stranger who decides to help good people out- and rid the world (or what remains of it) of the evil. All The Book of Eli is is an age old Western story given a 21st century face lift.

Throughout The Book of Eli is a stylish coating made up of an under-saturated color palette and many biblical references. The palette (much like the one in The Road, with brown instead of gray) doesn't make up for the lack of originality in the story (since a change in colors for an action or post-apocalyptic movie is pretty much required now). Although the slick action and bad ass bad apple performance by Denzel Washington do partially cover up the gaping hole in the story. The stylized slice n' dice fighting and choreography are quite entertaining and at times fun. There's some clever lines as well, such as when Eli says how one man won't get his hand back if he touches Eli again. Denzel remains calm and cool even when he looks out numbered, or out gunned. This guise is only heightened by the horde of Biblical references in The Book of Eli. Often times a verse will be quoted in some sort of preamble before a fight breaks out- which makes things pretty darn sweet. Due to the nature of the story and references, there are many religious messages embedded into The Book of Eli. If one does agree with these ideas, then the movie will be considerably more enjoyable (which made it more bearable for me). The religious messages are there for better or for worse, but the ultimate message may leave plot holes for some.
      

Last updated: 2010-04-11 13:45:20 by user01

FILM REVIEW :The Book of Eli (2010)

I'm so glad that The Book of Eli came along, and just in the nick of time, too: we were running short on post-apocalyptic films! In all seriousness, this isn't a bad movie at all, especially when you consider that it could have very easily fallen into the "post-apocalyptic drivel" category (to see my rant review for a film of that nature, click here). Rather, it is a well-paced adventure with fantastic action sequences and some terrific performances.


The few action scenes in the film are probably the most entertaining aspect of The Book of Eli. Contradictory to the theatrical trailer, which had choppy fighting at best, the action is fast-paced and excellently choreographed.

Denzel Washington does a commendable job with playing the title character. He is required to show up, read lines, and fight, which is all you can really ask for with a one-dimensional action hero. Gary Oldman's portrayal of the antagonist works well into the story, but this performance is a bit charismatic for my personal taste. He is basically trying to chew scenery when he was the only "scenery" to begin with. Much to my surprise, I found Mila Kunis as my personal MVP of The Book of Eli. Whenever I see her anywhere, I usually think, "It's Meg from Family Guy!" That's not the case here. She doesn't have to do, but she held her own against Washington and Oldman.

The big problem here is the screenplay. The world is in a post-apocalyptic state. We can determine that from any given five seconds of the theatrical trailer, but the assumed apocalypse is never fully explained. We know that "something" happened, but we don't know "what" it is. The lack of a concrete story arc in an action film that probably needed Denzel Washington's name attached to get made is somewhat expected, but we couldn't get a lazily written explanation of the apocalypse or an even lazier narration summarizing the events? And what about that ending? That was very lazy! Ambiguity is what they were going for with the writing, but it just doesn't work. I would complain about the one-dimensional characters, but this is an action film released in mid-January. What else would you expect?

The Book of Eli has some really good cast work and intense and visually sensible action sequences but also features a screenplay with some plot holes and ending that might make you say, "Seriously?" Although it was fun while it lasted, expect this film to grace a bargain bin at a Wal Mart near you in the coming months.

Somewhat recommended

Rating: 5.5 out of 10 stars

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Julian Stark (pen name)<br />
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Founder/Editor: Movies and Other Things<br />
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http://julianstark-moviesandotherthings.blogspot.com

Last updated: 2010-04-09 10:21:02 by user07

Booze Revooze: A Drinker’s Skewed View of THE BOOK OF ELI

Ramblings:  The Last Book (Hopefully) of E-Lame

Final Proof: 1 Shot

You know how you drink with a Christian Fundamentalist preacher? He’s all smiles and wearing this nice suit and he looks all shiny and polished and professional but he opens his mouth and no matter how hard he tries it’s only after about three or words that he starts preaching away at you and you start beer barfing in your mouth and, sure, you could swallow it but you decide to spit it all over the Christian Funda-mental because he’s an asshole and here you are just trying to enjoy yourself and have a good time and he’s on his soapbox passing wind in your digs so he deserves the hate you spew all over him. The Book Of Eli is so like that.  Post-apocalyptic movies come in two categories. You got your hyper-realistic The Road and you got your hyper-fun Zombieland. What you got with The Book Of Eli is your hyper-poor The Road imitation remade by religious right Christian Conservatives.  Plus, i won’t go into them all here because i don’t wanna be a spoiler, but every other scene has at least one WTF moment. Seriously, there are at least ten times you’ll gag because there’s no oxygen how far they had to go to fetch this crap.  Yeah, this movie chaffs my ass more than leaky beer farts. The good guys are 100% good. The bad guys are 100% bad. Everything is black and white, and not just the color scheme and Denzel Washington / Gary Oldman. Oh yeah, and there’s the 100% required ‘twist’ ending, and i’m not just talking about your intestines. The ‘twist’ isn’t all bad, though, ’cause it’ll give you and your date 2 hours of conversation while you go over the whole film talking about how nothing in the entire movie makes the twist remotely believable.  It’s not total crap. The blue-gray & white filter worked well and the action scenes were passable. Ok, also Tom Waits shows up. i don’t know how they tricked him into participating in this hour and a half religious commercial—i’m guessing he was brainwashed by Christian Science Jehovah’s Mormons beside a dumpster in an alley behind a Denny’s at 3am  somewhere near Albuquerque where they shot this movie and damn, i wish they woulda shot this movie, shot it dead three times in the head to put it out of my misery.  Buzz Kills (Watch Out for Spoilers) Sex: 0 Shots There’s a rape and a half in The Book Of Eli. i hate rape scenes in movies. They’re just a shortcut—at the expense of women—to setting up characters as bad guys. Rape scenes show a lack of imagination and, as everyone knows, i’m all about imagination. And women. Hot women. And sex. Any kind of sex. Rape has nothing to do with sex or hot women so it has no place in films.  No nudity in The Book Of Eli, either.  We do get some Mila Kunis (26), which is pro’lly the next best thing…
Notice how she’s wearing sunglasses here? Miss Demeanor pointed out that in The Book Of Eli everyone sports brand new cool shades. Apparently, after the end of the world everything will be decimated except for Sunglass Huts in shopping malls.  Here’s a collage for y’all.   Speaking of cool, Jennifer Beals shows up here, looking almost as hot at 46 as she did in Flashdance.   As for the Silken Butterly (that  fleeting image of beauty flitting across the scene in the break of a heart), The Book Of Eli offers us up stunt woman Heidi Pascoe, aka “Middle-Aged Woman”.   Just in case some babes have stumbled into this post, i’ve got some dark chocolate (55) for you to nibble on…   …and a 51-year-old white ‘russian’ [ok, he's British but it's kinda the same thing, right?] for you to nurse.   Written by: Gary Whitta  Directed by: The Hughes Brothers (Albert & Allen)  Starring Mila Kunis – Solara  Jennifer Beals – Claudia  Heidi Pascoe – Middle-Aged Woman  Denzel Washington – Eli  Gary Oldman – Carnegie

Bottom Line

Pretend this movie is like life after the apocalypse: Shoot yourself in the head to spare yourself the misery of experiencing it.

Al K Hall<br />
Functional Alcoholic Slurperson<br />
(No, REALLY. Google &amp;quot;Slurperson&amp;quot; if you don't believe me.)

Last updated: 2010-04-01 11:41:53 by user08

The Book of Eli

An eye for an Eli guides the good book through the valley of the shadow of death, fearing no evil for his swift blade is with him!

One Word Movie Review: GREAT

The Book of Eli is a rich movie; rich in symbols strewn across an impoverished landscape. Denzel Washington plays Eli, walking west with the last copy of the Bible, in search of a place where this book is truly needed. Between his current location in a desert of ash and bone (the result of a war of annihilation between the civilized countries of the world) and his goal somewhere further west, lies many opportunities for choreographed violence. These come in bursts between long passages of nuanced dialogue and small
scenes of daily post-apocalyptic life. Water, shoes, gloves, ammunition and shampoo are all scarce in this world and highly valued, even to the point of death.

This is not to say The Book of Eli is a violent gore-fest or an action thriller. It is more of a moralistic opus to philosophic ideals, the curse of faith and commerce, power and glory and the depths of good and evil living within each person who walks the land. This movie is paced like a sermon, with hallelujah highs and solemn depths of sweet despair. The film takes time to frame the journey against the enormity of the destructive past these survivors inhabit. In some ways, this is a silent movie as the imagery tells the whole story, from the opening frame of a broken revolver to the closing fade-out of the lone traveler on a never-ending journey.

What elevates this movie from good to greatness is the underlying theme which does not dwell on what happened thirty years ago or how the world was destroyed, but to address why it happened. In the end, even though you root for Eli on his mission, you realize it is a futile gesture as history will repeat itself yet again as the machines which were meant to save our ideals will fuel our self-destruction once again.

The Story

The Book of Eli starts with that broken revolver, lying next to a corpse being consumed by a hairless dog under a forest of dead trees as ash floats in the air like grey snowflakes. The hairless beast is killed and consumed by another one, on two legs and sporting a beard and cool shades. The eye coverings are needed as there is a hole in the sky (everyone wears shades to survive in this world, unless they are blind). Our bearded beast-killer is Eli, on a walkabout to the west to deliver the Bible to a place of greatest need. This place is not to be confused with the chaos and violence all around him. No, there is another place of even greater need further along his road.

We learn his survival to date has been due to his ability to sever body parts with a great blade up his sleeve and his mantra to "stay on the path - not your concern" as he sees others in desperate need of help. This obviously is not a path of enlightenment but practicality as he'd never survive these three score years by being a boy scout. However, life in these troubled times does have some comforts as he still listens to music and keeps himself clean as best he can without water. This is also a survival technique as his sense of smell is part of his danger radar, saving him from bad guys who, as we all know, always let their personal hygiene deteriorate once the world ends.

One bad guy is different however, the literate and clean-shaven Carnegie who runs the nearest town like the Lord of all things civilized. We meet him reading a book about Mussolini so we know where his head is at. Thus, his obsession with finding a copy of the good book so he can use the words to build his power base, influence the masses and dominate the world. Oh my, the Bible as a weapon. Yes, let's turn the pages with pistols and walk through the valley of evil as the meanest bastard of all.

Once Carnegie learns that Eli carries a copy of the keys to the kingdom, the plot is set for the irresistible force against the immovable object, with a very attractive object of desire in the form of Solara, a young girl who's avoided the worst of the world's evils with a smile and a protective mother who's sleeping with Carnegie. But now, Solara's turn has come to seduce Eli and turn him to the dark side.

So, with all the characters in place and the conflict well established, the chase is on as the pretty thing changes sides and Carnegie unleashes his dogs after Eli's bones. The pursuit of Eli is the least interesting part of the story, as the conclusion is inevitable as the symbolism behind the movie itself. In fact, the greatest fun in watching The Book of Eli is racking up a list of symbols and connecting their meaning as intended (or unintended) by the filmmakers.

Here is a courtesy list of symbols - see how many more you can spot:

• Why is the dog hairless?
• Which Bee Gees hit would you pick for Eli's theme song?
• Why is this world washed out of colors, save for the occasional rust-red patina on selected objects?
• Why does Eli need new shoes and what is the meaning of the manner in which he finds them?
• Why are all the guns not loaded?
• Why is the truth only revealed in the smell of people, not their words?
• If the sun is so deadly, why do so many characters pause to bask in the sun's rays?
• Why is Carnegie reading Mussolini?
• Why is his headquarters an old cinema?
• Why does he burn Oprah and The Da Vinci Code?
• Why must Eli head west?
• Why is a boy and his dog important?
• Why does no one know the word "amen"?
• Why do they camp out in a crumbling nuclear plant cooling tower?
• Which Johnny Cash song would you quote from if you were Eli?
• Why is there one white farmhouse still standing in the desert?
• Why does the first family of America become cannibals and consume we, the people?
• Why are the main combatants wounded in the leg and the gut?
• Why do people believe that a prison will set them free?

I have to stop there, although I could go on. This is one of the great delights in The Book of Eli, but not the only treat for audiences who experience a walk in the shoes of this character as he journeys across the debris of our daily lives. It is a story of myth and thus, fitting that it ends with the oral tradition of myth, told aloud for a new generation to absorb.

The Genre

The post-apocalyptic genre has taken an obsessive hold of Hollywood recently. The imaginings of science fiction have always fed films and left memorable stories which appeal to the deep fear within all of us that the world is going to hell and we're going along with it. This is inevitable as the ending of the book of Revelations. What we are fascinated with are the specific details of the event, the aftermath and the conflict between the inevitability of doom and our human instinct for survival.

Of more interest to me is why now? Why so many end of the world stories now? There seems to be two major themes circulating through the green lights of Hollywood, the imminent doom facing all of us and the need to ruthlessly combat the consequences, no matter what the cost. We must fight back, against all odds.

Before the movie, the trailers were all stories of people seeking vengeance, willing to kill or be killed as they charge madly into battle. Mel Gibson (Edge Of Darkness), John Travolta (From Paris With Love) and Leonardo DiCaprio (Shutter Island) all seemed willing to kill anyone in their way, just like Eli. This killer hero is the new Hollywood role model, a raising of the stakes as we enter a world edging closer to doomsday? Or is it just Hollywood's constant mandate to give audiences what they want?

If this is what people want, then Eli is in the same killer hero mold, a saintly man with the blade of the devil and no qualms about wielding it in the name of his holy mission. Eli hears voices and they tell him to go west, chop chop!

The Overall Quality

The Hughes brothers artistry fills every frame of The Book of Eli, from the muted colors to the bleak landscape to the understated performances by many high-caliber actors. This is a fully-realized world, just as Pandora comes to life in Avatar in all its brilliant colors. This world is bleak and crumbling, ashes to ashes and dust to dust. It's not appealing or interesting in the normal movie way; there are no cheeky signs of irony in the debris. The atmosphere is clouded with sunshine, a light that strips the soul and bares the worst of our past. The score is a synthetic variant on Gregorian chanting, long monotone notes that never seem to end, like the lives of the characters.

The performances are quiet, in sync with the settings. Denzel Washington plays Eli with an inner strength, only exploding in violence a few times, and then in shadow and silhouette, without the usual splatter-gore of other films. Gary Oldman plays Carnegie with a frustrated purity of purpose, his destiny assured if only those around him were a shade more competent, but then good help post-apocalypse is always a challenge. Mila Kunis is easily the most out of place in the movie, showing none of the hardship of life in this world, but then who wants to see such an attractive woman in dirt and grime and bruised like a apple?

The supporting actors are a joy, from the always interesting Michael Gambon as George (see Harry, old Dumbledore is still around after all..) and a personal favorite, Tom Waits as the engineer. Ray Stevenson, who was a revelation in the HBO series Rome, gets to be the top gun for Carnegie but still has little room to insert his presence. The rest of the cast suffer from poor teeth except for Jennifer Beals who looks splendid as a blind mother and main squeeze for Carnegie. Malcolm McDowell plays a small part, the opposite of his Clockwork Orange character, which was a nice bit of casting (one can only imagine an older Alex saying, "ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence, Eli?")

This is a movie that ends in prayer (and when was the last movie you saw with that ending?) and quotes from the good book in all the right places, reinforcing the power of good literature to stir the soul in any and all art forms. As Eli says, "let there be light" and Hollywood saw that it was good and put it in focus in darkened theaters across the land.

Movie/Market Analysis

MarketBOB’s sentiment indicators, the GQS (Genre, Quality, Story) rate The Book of Eli an emotional BEAR. This is a great movie but the theme and ending are not uplifting for the future of mankind. I believe most audiences will emerge thoughtful and apprehensive about the future after viewing this film. Now, if only Eli made it to San Francisco where Malcolm McDowell had perfected his time machine and Eli could go back in time and save the world from...Oh well, not every movie can be a Cameron movie.

Craig Forgrave (MarketBOB)

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Last updated: 2010-03-26 19:38:35 by user08

A must watch for the believer...

If you're a believer this one is a MUST WATCH. I enjoyed the movie thoroughly in the way it was shot and how Eli (Denzel Washington) clung so closely to the words of the good book. There's a lot you can learn about faith in the movie. It's equal part action and equal part drama in a post-apocalyptic setting.

The movie starts off slow but it hits its stride 20mins or so in. I won't reveal too much about the story but needless to say, Denzel is in top form here and Gary Oldman does an equally great job at playing the villain. Mila Kunis is a treat to watch on screen, she's just so pretty as is Jennifer Beals who has an air of elegance about her in her character Claudia.

The movie is in its final leg here in Malaysian cinemas and there were only 3 screenings yesterday at GSC. If you've got time this week, take time out to catch it; I daresay you won't regret it. It'll challenge your faith.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Visit my blog for reviews and more!

Last updated: 2010-03-21 18:18:36 by chrisleow

The Book of Eli

Starring: Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis
2010, Thriller

Eli (Washington) is an exceptional man in a post apocalyptic world on a near impossible mission that is taking him out West by foot. There are no laws and very few morals among those who have managed to survive making his task even more difficult. He is trying to protect something so powerful that it could ultimately save the human race which at present is sinking further and further into despair. Along the way he meets Solara (Kunis) who could use some saving herself and together they continue on the journey.

• This movie takes survival of the fittest to a whole new level. There isn't much left but dust and people are driven to do anything to survive.
• Denzel Washington is excellent and nice to look at even in a bombed out dirty world as usual.
• It was nice to see Mila Kunis in a different kind of movie then what she has done in the past.
• Plenty of action and great fighting scenes but I must say the ending felt just a little flat.
• A testament to the power of faith.

4 Stars

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Just Me

The Book of Eli

Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes
Starring Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman
Screenplay by Gary Whitta
118 Minutes
Rated R for some brutal violence and language

The Book of Eli is much like the bajillions of post-apocalyptic landscapes that have been seen in cinemas lately: monotonous, stale and rather predictable. Whether all of this is for artistic or storytelling purposes or not, the tedious traits that would accompany a survivor's life in said conditions make The Book of Eli just another post-end-of-the-world movie.

The Book of Eli is the story of Eli, a journeyman who (pardon my pun) just won't stop believing in his call to go West through a post-apocalyptic America. When his iPod runs out of juice, Eli takes a stop in a town ruled by Carnegie, a fresh water monopolizing man (Gary Oldman) who is searching for one book in particular. And Eli just so happens to have that book (he can read too, which is something not many are able to do). The story probably sounds quite familiar- it should. Carnegie is a classic minion-utilizing, wife abusing meanie looking for power. Eli is the selfless, quiet stranger who decides to help good people out- and rid the world (or what remains of it) of the evil. All The Book of Eli is is an age old Western story given a 21st century face lift.

Throughout The Book of Eli is a stylish coating made up of an under-saturated color palette and many biblical references. The palette (much like the one in The Road, with brown instead of gray) doesn't make up for the lack of originality in the story (since a change in colors for an action or post-apocalyptic movie is pretty much required now). Although the slick action and bad ass bad apple performance by Denzel Washington do partially cover up the gaping hole in the story. The stylized slice n' dice fighting and choreography are quite entertaining and at times fun. There's  some clever lines as well, such as when Eli says how one man won't get his hand back if he touches Eli again. Denzel remains calm and cool even when he looks out numbered, or out gunned. This guise is only heightened by the horde of Biblical references in The Book of Eli. Often times a verse will be quoted in some sort of  preamble before a fight breaks out- which makes things pretty darn sweet. Due to the nature of the story and references, there are many religious messages embedded into The Book of Eli. If one does agree with these ideas, then the movie will be considerably more enjoyable (which made it more bearable for me). The religious messages are there for better or for worse, but the ultimate message may leave plot holes for some.

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“Book of Eli” a powerhouse epic from the brothers Hughes

* * * * out of four stars

“The Book of Eli” is another entry in the post-apocalyptic subgenre of science fiction joining “Mad Max,” “The Omega Man,” “I Am Legend,” “Waterworld,” “Escape from New York” and countless others, where humanity has finally rid the earth of itself and must survive on what little remains. The best of these films is, and has been since 1981, the sequel to “Mad Max,” “The Road Warrior.” But “Eli” may very well replace it. It’s that good.

Directed by the Hughes Brothers (“Dead Presidents,” “From Hell”), the film opens with silence and loneliness. We are introduced to our hero, the wandering Eli, when he kills a cat with a bow and arrow. He has wandered for thirty years, ever since a catastrophic nuclear war. He carries a book, the book. And he reads it every night.

Bibles were burned after the nuclear holocaust. Religion was blamed for the war, and thus all religious texts were destroyed… except one. A King James Bible, bruised, but in tact and in Eli’s possession. Eli believes he is on a quest from God to take the book west… to where, he doesn’t know.

He happens upon a town. The town doesn’t really have a name, it’s just “a town.” It seems to be in the middle of nowhere. It’s run by a man named Carnegie, who can read and will do anything to get his hands on Eli’s book. Carnegie wants the book so that he may use it to influence people to do his bidding. His intentions are far from pure. He keeps and sells slaves and uses his intellect to get the better of people. He is pure evil. And when Eli refuses to give him the book, he unleashes a fury that may just end Eli and his quest.

This film is very violent and dark. It is brooding and depressing. There is never a smile. This is not a flaw in the movie. It is a strength. The setting calls for sadness, for despair and hopelessness. There is nothing to smile about in a world where your next breath comes as a surprise. Eli hardly ever sleeps. He’s always on his guard. So is everyone else in the film.

Except Carnegie. Gary Oldman (“Air Force One,” “The Dark Knight”) plays Carnegie with shiver-inducing slithery. Carnegie is not ever happy to be where he is, but he’s at least proud to be the king of the mountain. To him, his town may as well be the world and he may as well be king.

Both stars of the film do an incredible job of reimagining their respective roles. Oldman brings a new kind of greed and vanity to his usual villain role. As Eli, Denzel Washington (“Training Day,” “The Taking of Pelham 123″) also brings a rougher, sadder, and more ruthless aspect to his hero persona. We’ve seen Oldman and Washington play villains and heroes before, but with both actors we get new dimensions here. These are newer, different characters than the ones they’ve played before.

There is so much I am not telling you. What I’m not telling you about is its themes. Themes are so important in a sci-fi piece. There needs to be a lesson, something you take from it. That’s what science fiction does. Without telling you the themes for fear of completely ruining the experience, I will say that they are classic, perfectly created science fiction.

The Hughes brothers’ directing is remarkable. The film is so dark and barren. The scenes are gritty and believable. Going in, we believe the world we’re seeing, and not for a second do we doubt it.

I hate it when critics say, early in the year, “It’s the best film all year!” So I’m not going to say that. But it is definitely worth seeing at least twice.

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The Book of Eli

Starring:
Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals, Ray Stevenson
Director: The Hughes Brothers
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Rated: R

Eli (Denzel Washington) must walk west and deliver a book which holds the power to restore mankind after an apocalypse, in his path is Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who understands the power of the book and will do whatever he must to get it.

Without one instance of an explanation as to what happened to the earth, we are immediately thrust into a post apocalyptic future where there is limited water and people have reverted back to the barter system or resorted to thievery to survive; Besides the dust and the destruction there are multiple subtle clues that catastrophe has happened primarily being the muted colors of the sky but the most obvious being that everyone wears goggles or sun glasses.

When we first encounter Eli he is hunting for food and then quickly we are shown his level of Bad Assery by telling a would be thief if he is touched one more time, said thief would lose his hand. Not a second later the hand is on the ground no longer attached to its owners arm.

Later in his travels to the west Eli enters a town run by Carnegie after dispatching some unsavory characters in Carnegies bar he is offered employment with Carnegie to help find the find book that Eli is taking to the west. Of course Eli does not falter in his quest and after turning down the extremely hot Solara’s (Mila Kunis) physical advances Eli heads back to the road. Solara joins Eli and the chase begins as Carnegie and his band of road warrior rejects attempt to reclaim the book.

Halfway through the movie you learn what the book is and the end of the film there are a couple of subtle twists that will make a person want to rewatch the film. Denzel gives a great performance and displays some hand to hand combat skills I didn’t know he had. There is ample violence and variety with Eli utilizing a machete, a shotgun, a pistol and a bow and arrow. Gary Oldman does what he does best which is play a scumbag complete with multiple close-ups of his sweaty, dirty pock marked face. What sets The Book of Eli apart is that the Hughes brothers don’t waste time with a slow back story they start you off right in the thick of it near the end of Elis quest. The ability to meld Violence and a message of hope while keeping Eli’s mystique about him is finely crafted as well.

You can go back through the film and find multiple plot holes ala how does 30 yr old gas work, how is Solara so clean and stylish given the elements and a lack of water but the creative use of weaponry and the message of the film more than make up for the shortcomings.Grade-85

the book of eli

so i’ve been a bit behind in my movies so i watched a few this week.  three that are in theaters now and one on dvd.  and out of all of them, the missing was the best.  the missing is circa 2003 starring tommy lee jones and cate blanchett and directed by ron howard.  i bought it for 2 bucks at half price books.

the missing is a western and i’m a fan of westerns but it still is better than any of the above mentioned films.  it’s just a better story with more compelling characters.  tommy lee jones is cate blanchett’s estranged half indian father who left her and her mother when she was just a child.  and now, ever how many years later he just shows up.  cate’s daughter just happens to get snagged by some crazy indian witch doctor who sells white girls in mexico.

and as you probably already know, it takes and indian to catch an indian.  so tommy lee takes cate and her younger daughter after the crazed indian captors.  a good, old fashioned chasing some indians western.  i loved it.

i finally got around to seeing the blind side and have to say i wasn’t impressed at all.  i guess i can understand it’s popularity.  this is a very easy film to watch.  there’s no shocking violence, no bad language but there’s also no conflict.  it’s the most vanilla movie i think i’ve ever seen.  the actors are all very good.  especially tim mcgraw.  i would not have known it was tim mcgraw if i didn’t already know it was tim mcgraw.  he was very believable.  of course opposite sandra bullock i’m sure his job was pretty easy.  and sandra was as good as ever.  quinton aaron did a good job as michael oher.  and it is a nice, feel good story.   poor homeless black kid is adopted by an affluent white family and goes on to star in the nfl.  feel good story of the year i suppose.  and that’s why it’s so popular.  non offensive, feel good movie for all ages.  that’s all fine and good, just not necessarily my cup of tea.  if in fact i drank tea.

the next two films are more recent releases and both deal with post apocolyptic themes.  the road, adapted from a cormac mccarthy novel follows the man and the boy on a journey down a treacherous road searching for safety and security in a world torn apart by famine and cannibalism.  yes, cannibalism.  the blast comes and wipes out everything.  blots out the sun almost so nothing will grow.  and once all the food is gone, the people turn on themselves.  there are basically two groups of people we encounter in this film.  those with guns that hunt down people without guns.  and these people with guns eat the people without guns.

very drab, dreary and depressing.  thanks cormac mccarthy.  i’m thinking the novel is much better than the film.  my biggest complaint is just that the boy has lived far too a severe lifestyle since he’s been born to be such a whiny little thing.  shut up and deal with it kid.  i also found it interesting that the man was able to keep his bic lighter working for so long without running out of fuel.  this one is not near as good as no country for old men.  which is a complete downer in it’s own right.  if you’re just too happy, go check this one out.

the book of eli also involves the world after the blast.  and there are some cannibals in this one too, but they aren’t the main concern.  the big problem here is denzel washington, eli, has possession of a book that one particular evil city developer wants.  what is this book you may ask?  well if you can’t figure it out, i’m not telling.  actually, i am telling.

so old eli is just chilling after the blast that wiped out everything and he is spoken to by god, or an angel.  i’m not sure they specify.  but either way, he is led to a hill where he finds a book under a rock.  and he’s told to take this book west and that he would be protected so long as he was fulfilling his mission.  and he is protected.  whether by god or by his bad ass ninja skills.

this thing plays a lot like a comic book movie.  some of the images are really cool.  the first fight scene takes place in shadow, or rather there’s a very bright background so the figures in the fight are silloettes.  there is some really cool camera work particularly during the fight scenes.

but the whole being led to a hill and uncovering a book that is entrusted to him and he was to bring the book forth to a place where it can be accepted and not exploited kinda makes me think of the story of how the book of mormon came into existance.  joseph smith is visited by an angel and led to a hill where he finds a book under a rock.  at one point i leaned over the person next to me in the movie and said, it’s not a bible, it’s the book of mormon!

but no, i was a bible.

after the blast the people fell into a serious state of apostacy.  no leadership, no morals, no nothing.  the world of mad max comes to life once again.  and it has a serious mad max vibe.  where the road was washed out in gray, this world is sepia tone.

the book of eli is far more entertaining than the road, but i’m still not sure which one is better.  they are both well done and do not leave me looking for the day of apocolypse.  looks like it’s gonna suck.  gary oldman is always good and he’s good here, he just has a weak, one dimensional role that is far below his skill level.  denzel is a bad ass.  much the way mel gibson was a bad ass in mad max.  and that’s fun to watch.  mila kunis is finally cast in a decent role.  one that she fits into.  and that was nice to see.  eh, who am i kidding?  mila kunis is nice to see.

all in all, i’m glad i picked up the missing for 2 dollars.  quite a bargain.  the book of eli i’ll pay five bucks for.  the road and the blind side?  probably won’t make it into the collection.

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Cal Reed

The Book of Eli

Basic Premise:
It's post-apocalyptic Earth. One lone man is making his way west. In his possession is a book. A book that holds a great deal of power and one man is willing to kill to get it.


Review:
When I first saw the previews for this movie, I said this looked like a Wesley Snipes movie. Or even a Michael Jai White (Spawn) movie. But definitely not Denzel Washington. Denzel is more cerebral. He's a thinker, which is why he gets the Man On Fire type movies -- thinking man's action.

This was not thinking man's action and after watching it I can still say that he wasn't the right person to play the role (producer or not). He did a good job but the vibe (for me) wasn't quite right. Maybe not Wesley Snipes level either, but I can't think of someone who could have played the role.

This is not my type of movie. I have to say that right off the bat. It was well done and the acting was good and it had that "real" feel that makes any movie worth watching but not something I would go out of my way to see again. Social commentary at its best is one way to describe it.

The movie is predictable with one little twist and giant FU to the villain at the end. I liked that FU and the twist. But, like I already said, the movie was predictable. For all those people who have taken an educated guess, that book Denzel is toting around is EXACTLY what you think it is so keep that in mind when contemplating seeing this movie. If you can't (or haven't) guessed, don't worry about it.

For the parents, if you care to take your children to this movie (why?), there is bloody violence, body parts being hacked off, rape, and cursing (the whole family makes an appearance at some point).

I should also note that this movie is character driven, not action driven. Anyone wanting to see an ass-kicking action film with non-stop fighting should save their money and their time.

Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

The Book of Eli

"The Book of Eli" is directed by the Hughes Brothers (a.k.a. Albert and Allen Hughes). It stars Denzel Washington ("The Taking of Pelham 123"), Gary Oldman ("The Dark Knight"), and Mila Kunis ("Family Guy").

It's the end of the world...yet again. Eli (Denzel Washington) is guarding a book...a special book - if you think hard enough you will figure out what book it is rather quickly. Eli thinks that he has the last copy known to man and that it will greatly help the post-apocalyptic human race. This really isn't explained to a great extent. Carnegie (Gary Oldman) is the mayor of one of the last surviving towns and is desperately trying to get his hands on the book. Yeah, that's about it...more or less...so the trailer actually didn't lie.

I love Denzel Washington. So that was one of the main reasons why I wanted to see this movie. He is a fantastic lead actor and has a great command of the screen. Denzel Washington apparently also knows how to use guns and various weapons extremely well; he's kind of a force not be reckoned with. It nice to see him do a role like this after seeing him as a subway dispatcher in "The Taking of Pelham 123." They are pretty different. Gary Oldman is also a great actor and interacts well with Denzel Washington. He's kind of the anti-Lt. Gordon. Mila Kunis is actually a decent actor...who knew after being associated with "That 70s Show" and "Family Guy." She's a nice addition to the cast and got to work well with the two lead actors.

The movie looks great visually. All of the colors that are used are very dark and dull. This seems to make sense since the world has ended. So the tone of the movie is apparent from the beginning. The camera work is also very good...some nice tracking shots of trucks coming down a highway, close-ups and other unique points of view.

Several movies lately have dealt with the end of the world. Apparently Americans like watching that sort of thing. So that aspect of the story is not original. The rest of the story is pretty interesting to watch. The movie drags on slightly and there's some script issues which aren't surprising since the action sequences are the main focuses of the movie.

"The Book of Eli" was entertaining. The main cast was great and it was visually nice to watch. The movie has gotten mixed reviews, but it was a lot better than Rottentomatoes.com would lead me to believe. I'm assuming that people who have seen the trailer or heard anything about this movie already have decided whether they will be seeing it in theaters or renting it or avoiding it at all cost...so follow your gut. 2 1/2 stars out of 4 stars....I most likely wouldn't have seen it opening day if not for the two leads. There are a lot of movies that I have previously reviewed that have been better...

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The Book of Eli: Go west old man

An old man in tattered clothes, covered with dust, is trudging through a rubbled black and white landscape. He is Eli. Voices have told him to take the book he found after the great apocalypse, that followed a great war, and head toward the Pacific.

The book is leather bound, adorned with a gilded cross. While it's in his possession, the man will be safe.

The man is Denzel Washington and the book is The Bible. And this being a post-apocalyptic tale, there is also a villain, acted with villainous glee by Gary Oldman. He is also obsessed with possessing the book but for very different reasons.

And so it goes in "The Book of Eli," a captivating drama that tells an old story in a brilliant new way. It's all about good vs. evil and the power of religion to serve either one.

Amen.

See you at the movies, The Movie Slut

The Book of Eli

This movie gets a lot out of a little.

The "little" is the premise and plot: thirty years after the apocalypse, a lone man -- Denzel Washington -- walks west. He carries a King James Bible, the last in existence. A voice has commanded him to carry the book someplace safe.

Denzel comes across a small settlement ruled with an iron fist by Gary Oldman, who has spent decades in search of just the tome Denzel carries. Oldman intends to use the Good Book to recreate the old religion with himself at its head.

Since Denzel does not wish to turn the Bible over to Oldman, a great deal of violence and mayhem ensues.

And that's your story.

But here's where "Eli" rises above the madding crowd of post-apocalyptic actioners: instead of using the post-apocalypse as a mere playground for unrestricted chaos... instead of using the Bible as a standard MacGuffin to justify a string of hackneyed fight and chase sequences... instead of all that, every moment that elapses in "The Book of Eli" is bountifully imbued with questions of faith and purpose.

The conflict between Denzel and Oldman is a thoughtful, profound debate about the uses of religion, argued with words but settled with knives, chains and guns.

Oldman's character -- unimaginatively named "Carnegie" -- succeeds because he's subtle. He's ruthless, yes, brutal, sure, but only if he has to be, and in the post-apocalypse he generally has to be. He's old enough that, like Denzel, he remembers the world before civilization crashed. Like Denzel, he's cultured and smart. And ultimately he makes a compelling argument for life as a great game of power politics and nothing more.


Wonderfully there is no trace of Oldman's typical overacting. Which goes to show what a good idea it is to cast a wild-eyed ham of an actor as your villain and then force him to dial his intensity down, down, down (see Montalban, Ricardo.)

A weak spot is the beautiful young Solara -- a MacGuffin in her own right -- played by Mila Kunis, who just doesn't have the acting chops to hang with Denzel and Oldman. Kunis is a rising star, but this is a stronger movie if the Hughes brothers had cast a young unknown -- I would suggest anyone British.

I'll let the Hughes brothers off the hook for this misstep because their directing in "The Book of Eli" is so exceptionally strong. I'm penning them in for a personal "best director" nomination which the academy will surely not give them next year.

But that's a shame. They achieve something remarkable with their use of a hypnotic musical score, a pale but complex color scheme and lots of languorous slow camera pans that placed me in an open-mouthed trance for much of the running time. Along with some great acting by Denzel and Oldman, captured in appropriate closeups, "The Book of Eli" is a visually stupendous movie.

Credit for the writing goes to Gary Whitta, a professional gaming writer and former editor of PC Gamer magazine. This is an admirable first foray into feature screenplays.

2010's off to a great start with "The Book of Eli."

SCORE

How Accomplished: 85/100

How Much I Enjoyed: 90/100

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The Book of Eli - Review

I’ve been intrigued by The Book of Eli ever since I read that Denzel Washington was trained in the martial arts by Bruce Lee’s protégé Dan Inosanto in order to pull off the fighting scenes. This is just as much of a spiritual movie as it could be a samurai film. The movie starts off with Eli walking down a road when he confronts a gang of thieves wanting what he has, and of course, he must protect himself and the book. We see that he has some ninja killing skills that have carried him all these years. Honestly, without beating around the bush, The Book Of Eli is hands down my favorite film of the year thus far.  January is usually a dump site for lackluster films but I must say that 2010 is breaking that cliche.

Eli was guided by a higher power to a hidden book and given the task of protecting the book and taking it to its final destination. Eli guards the book with his life, because he knows that the book is the only hope that humanity has for its future. Eli is a peaceful man who only acts in self defense, and becomes a warrior with unbelievable killing skills when he is challenged. Visually, this movie was amazing. Once again, the production design and the cinematography are absolutely stunning. If I may be so bold, I would like to say it featured the best soundtrack for a movie in years. It was that good. Sure, The Book of Eli can be viewed as a religious movie but I assure you, it didn’t feel remotely preachy or heavy handed.

A good blogger buddy of mine over at Cinematropolis quoted Denzel as being ‘God’s Samurai’ and I thought this was a fitting description of the character. Washington aside, you have some great supporting characters in Mila Kunis and Gary Oldman. Although their performances complimented Washington, I couldn’t wrap my head around the many plot holes. In one instance, Carnegie takes one look at Eli and says, “He is not like other men,” but then spends the rest of the movie trying to kill him to prove “he’s just a man.” Another example is how they got their hands on a gattling gun after ammo for a pistol is scarce.  Those gripes aside, it was a very enjoyable movie.

But on the whole, The Hughes Brothers have created a solid homage to samurai films and done so in a clever fashion by putting it beneath the guise of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Eli impressed me by having no dialogue for almost the first ten minutes of the movie. Make no mistake about it, this film is heavily asian influenced. I give it high praise and it even gives us a twist ending that sucker punched me for once. The first great movie of the year that you should all be running to see in my opinion.


Final Grade: A-

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Last updated: 2010-02-16 07:29:52 by JapanCinema

The Book of Eli

Plot: It is a post-apocalyptic world.  It's been years since the world as we knew it existed.  The story centers on Eli (Denzel Washington) whose mission is to simply head west, carrying a book he claims is humanity's only chance of survival.  But when he enters a town controlled by the power hungry Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who wants the book for evil purposes, Eli must protect it at all costs. 

Denzel Washington kicking ass!  Yea!  How can you go wrong?  Well, this movie's okay.  Although it has a solid story, the characters are very 'meh.'  And the really disappointing aspect here is Denzel Washington.  Yea, I'm sure most people are going to say he's the highlight of the movie...maybe the only highlight.  Don't get me wrong, he's good here but I wasn't blown away by his performance.  Now it’s not his fault.  The character just isn't that interesting.  The story surrounding the character is great.  I like how he is so dedicated and obsessed with protecting this book, but the character himself was bland.  That's really the deal with this movie.  Good story - mediocre characters.

And that goes for everyone here; Gary Oldman as the villain Carnegie, Ray Stevenson as his right hand man Redridge.  The performances were fine, I just didn't find these people very compelling.  The one actress who seemed to elevate her character though was Mila Kunis as Solara.  She's just another plain character in this movie, but for some reason she seemed to step it up more than the others.  It just seemed like she had more conviction in her dialogue than everyone else.

The best part about this movie is the look.  It looks beautiful in the sense that it shows perfectly how devastating the world has become.  Dark.  Gritty.  Depressing.  The film was shot flawlessly.  What else is awesome are the fight scenes.  Oh man, these look good.  They don't last long, but watching Eli fight is pretty damn cool, especially the first time you see it.  At one point it's just these dark figures as the wasteland they are in lights up in the background.  It's gorgeous.  It's a little bit of a give and take though, because if you are coming into this movie wanting nothing but action, you will be supremely disappointed.

Another huge weakness in the movie was the pacing.  It moves like a snail.  And I don't mean so much the pacing of the story, but just in the scenes themselves - And right from the beginning too.  They keep panning the camera and giving us zoom-ins of all the devastation to the Earth that really just lasts too damn long.  And yea, it looks great like I said, but at some point it's like, "Okay, I get it.  The world sucks.  Come on, get on with the movie!"  You'll also have people staring at books for ten minutes, and then they cut away to another scene, but will go back to the same guy staring at the book!  These drawn out close-ups and moments are just too drawn out.  Keep the movie moving please!

Also, there is one crucial scene towards the end that just gets a little too goofy.  Eventually there is this old couple played by Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour that come in late to the movie.  This film has been deadly serious the entire time.  I mean literally no jokes.  And then this scene where Eli comes into contact with this old couple just gets too jokey.  It comes out of nowhere and is really inconsistent with the tone of the movie.  It just took me out of the picture for a while.

Now I have to say the ending is pretty damn good.  There are a couple nice twists that I won't spoil.  Unfortunately it's very anti-climactic.  It seemed very rushed, but nevertheless it's a satisfying conclusion.

I would definitely recommend seeing this movie, but I think you can wait to rent it.  It looks good, some great fight scenes, an engrossing story, but it's pretty bland otherwise.  I think it could have been great if the characters were as compelling as the plot...but they aren't.  Even Denzel can't save it.

Rating: 6 out of 10

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The Book of Eli - **

Starring:  Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Beals

Review:  I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, Denzel always brings his A-game, so I wasn't worried about that.  However, the post-apocalyptic survivor story has been done, it's hard to bring originality to it and can definitely be hit or miss.

What I got from this movie was more originality than I thought I would get, some decently good performances, a super bad-ass Denzel Washington, and of course the gorgeous Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis. 

The movie follows the path of Denzel Washington's character, whom we can guess from the name of the movie is Eli but go for about half the movie without being told that as an audience.  Washington's character keeps talking about and alluding to his "quest" and "keeping on the path."  What quest?  Where does this path lead?  All these are the questions that, with answers promised, are supposed to keep us interested in the storyline.  Unfortunately, it doesn't do as good of a job at that.  The movie will slightly keep you compelled to try to figure out this quest, but it becomes apparent about half way through and takes a lot of the fun out of it.  Further, based on the nature of the quest the movie becomes slightly hokey.  Not to the point that it is distracting, but enough to make you notice.

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Another beef I had with the movie was it's lack of character development.  The movie seemed content with using the characters more as set pieces to drive the story than to actually tell the story.  They were somewhat flat and there was no dynamism to the characters.  You felt no change taking place with the characters, no metaphorical journey that they make, only a physical one.  None of the events in the movie seem to have any impact on the characters, they just accept it and move on.  For a movie so focused on one central character this presents quite the issue.  What I will say is that the actors do well with what they have.  It is apparent that the problem with the characters is in the source material, so the actors were able to get all they could from it, which I appreciate.  Denzel always brings his A-game and played a badass very well.  Gary Oldman always plays well in supporting roles and does so here.  Mila Kunis is awfully easy to look, although her acting skills leave something to be desired. 

The best part about the movie was it's production design.  The post-apocalyptic world looked really good and was the best part of the movie.  The costume design was great and all this gave the movie a look and feel that made the post-apocalyptic setting seem more realistic.  Again, Denzel was awesome and the fight scenes were excellently choreographed and played out.  Ultimately, the movie was worth your time only if you like these types of movies.  It had enough in it to enjoy, but nothing that makes it too memorable.

The Book Of Eli

"The Book Of Eli" is another post apocalyptic "Mad Max" like drama with a religious bent to it and it is better than I expected. Denzel Washington can almost sell me anything because he is always so cool, assured and so great in every role he plays. Actually if he wasn't in this movie it would be more of a close call. This is a very well directed movie that has a decent story, some good action and some good gory kills. The movie also looks beautiful for a movie centered on the World after most of it has been destroyed. The movie concerns a drifter named Eli played by Washington who wanders this desolate World looking like Mad Max. All the bad guys including Gary Oldman, who is at his histrionic best, look like leftovers from the "Mad Max" movies. "The Book Of Eli" though is probably the best movie of it's kind since the last Mad Max film. Yes I mention the groundbreaking and best movie trilogy ever because Eli is another in a long line of movies inspired by Mad Max. The Mad Max movies are three of my favorite movies period of all time. I am usually bored by the countless rip offs but Eli passed my test. It has a solid story, another great Denzel Washington performance and the movie looks damn good. The direction is crisp, the acting good and the action scenes are well done. I also must mention that Mila Kunis is making an impression on me as Washington's sidekick here. She was also very good in last year's under appreciated comedy "Extract".

Now "The Book Of Eli" has a pretty deep religious angle to the story and I actually think religion classes in high school might be showing this to their students. I can picture my old religion teacher Brother Sean showing us this movie at old Carmel High. Now I pretty much roll my eyes when a movie spouts religious stuff like a zealot but here I think the religion angle is done subtly and well. This is actually a cool, exciting and adventurous movie as opposed to the do gooder movie "Extraordinary Measures" which is boring. So what you have in "The Book Of Eli" is a post apocalyptic action movie that has a message but also entertains. This is a big return to form for the Hughes Brothers who are very talented storytellers and directors.

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Vincent Snavely

The Book of Eli

     Denzel Washington and a gritty, realistic, post apocalyptic Hellscape; how can you go wrong?  Well,sadly, it's quite easy; lousy story.
 
     "The Book of Eli" features Denzel Washington as Eli, former K-Mart employee who is now 30 years into a post apocalyptic journey to get a book of great importance somewhere in the West.  We pick up his journey near its end as he comes across a small group of people living in the rubble of a former town and being led by a tyrannical dictator named Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman.  Oldman's character wants the book as well.  Mila Kunis plays Solara, who is either fleeing the tyranny of the town or working against our hero to steal his all important book.
 
     "The Book of Eli" manages to do almost everything right, the casting is very good, Denzel Washington does a good job as a hardened man on a mission, the landscape and special effects are superb, the directing and pace of the film are just right for an action/thriller, and the action scenes are almost over the top, but not too bad and they aren't too numerous or drawn out.  (Except for the opening, arrow shot sequence.)  So, what kills this movie, really?  (I'm completely giving the ending away here.)  What kills "The Book of Eli" is the book.  What is it?  Why are people willing to kill for it?  The implication in the trailers is that it's a Bible, but surely, there is more to the story than that, right?  Wrong.  It's a King James version of the Bible.  Survivors of the war which brought on this apocalypse blamed religions and tried to destroy all copies of religious texts.  Oldman's character is after what is believed to be the last, remaining copy of the Bible because he believes it will allow him to control more people over a greater area.  Maybe it will, but you can always just make up a new religion.  Most of the people alive grew up after the war and can't read anyway.  Denzel's character is taking the Bible west because God speaks to him.  Also, God is protecting him on his journey, as in bullets seem to miraculously miss or bounce off of him and he can easily slaughter people who try to take his Bible away.  (Very Christian.)  It is at this point that the movie loses me completely.  I can take that it's a Bible and people are willing to kill for its potential power over the masses, but Denzel's character is being guided by the inner voice of God, he is actively being protected by the hand of God, and, in the end, we discover (twist ending!) that he is blind, so he is actually being guided by God.  Where's the suspense in that?  This movie's ending is (forgive me for this one) preordained once we discover that God is actively involved.  It ends with Denzel's character getting to Alcatraz Island, where a group of people have been preserving books and are beginning to reprint them.  Denzel's character dies, because any Christan prophet also had to be a martyr, the King James version of the Bible (how many versions of the Bible are there?) is placed on a shelf next to other religious texts, so as to be politically correct, and Mila Kunis' character inherits Denzel's hardened look and starts her journey back to her home town; apparently a new prophet. 
 
     What an incredible waste of a stunningly well done post apocalyptic Hellscape.  This could have been a really good movie too, if they had only left the religious aspects a mystery.  Give Denzel's character a bit of faith as motivation and don't have bullets bouncing off of him.  Keep it a mystery if he is just a lone nut or being guided by a higher power.  Or better yet, forget the religion all together and have the book contain the cure to a plague, the location of underground bunkers full of everything a new civilization needs, or the science needed to rebuild civilization.  I'm sorry, but as soon as bullets started bouncing off of him and Denzel said he was guided by the voice of God, I knew everything that was going to happen and was just bored waiting for the inevitable end.  The shocking, twist endings of Denzel's character being blind and the Bible being written in Braille only manage to hammer home the now undeniable fact that, for this movie anyway, yes, there is a God and he wants, specifically, the King James version of the Bible to survive.  (Sorry Greek Orthodox Catholics and most non-European Christian sects.)  How this movie went from post apocalyptic action/thriller to dogma of certain Christian sects, I'm really not sure, but it was a wrong turn.

Brian
Ciné Critique Américain

The Book of Eli

When I first saw the previews for this movie, I said this looked like a Wesley Snipes movie. Or even a Michael Jai White (Spawn) movie. But definitely not Denzel Washington. Denzel is more cerebral. He's a thinker, which is why he gets the Man On Fire type movies -- thinking man's action.

This was not thinking man's action and after watching it I can still say that he wasn't the right person to play the role (producer or not). He did a good job but the vibe (for me) wasn't quite right. Maybe not Wesley Snipes level either, but I can't think of someone who could have played the role.

This is not my type of movie. I have to say that right off the bat. It was well done and the acting was good and it had that "real" feel that makes any movie worth watching but not something I would go out of my way to see again. Social commentary at its best is one way to describe it.

The movie is predictable with one little twist and giant FU to the villain at the end. I liked that FU and the twist. But, like I already said, the movie was predictable. For all those people who have taken an educated guess, that book Denzel is toting around is EXACTLY what you think it is so keep that in mind when contemplating seeing this movie. If you can't (or haven't) guessed, don't worry about it.

For the parents, if you care to take your children to this movie (why?), there is bloody violence, body parts being hacked off, rape, and cursing (the whole family makes an appearance at some point).

I should also note that this movie is character driven, not action driven. Anyone wanting to see an ass-kicking action film with non-stop fighting should save their money and their time.



Review originally posted at The Multiverse's Archival Chambers on 18 Jan 2010.

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Recommendations: Star Trek (2009), Avatar, 300

D. Renee Bagby<br />
Building New Realms of Passion<br />
http://dreneebagby.com

Last updated: 2010-02-13 10:24:55 by dreneebagby

The Book of Eli

Who Would Jesus Brutally Hack Up?

The Book of Eli is a very good action film with very odd religious overtones. Sure, it's warmed over Road Warrior but it's really good warmed over Road Warrior.

The movie opens in some sort of atmospheric forest chock full of dead bodies that are sure to attract vermin. This is what a lone bow hunter is counting on as he sees a cat come along that thinks it's really lucked out as it starts munching on some dead guy's foot just before it gets an arrow in the gut and becomes a meal for Denzel Washington's Eli. Eli is a nomad wandering the country thirty years after a nuclear war destroyed everything including all the annoying busybodies who nagged us to disarm. I bet their last thoughts involved wishing they'd spent more time getting laid. Anyway, Eli quickly establishes himself as a superior fighter as he almost effortlessly takes out a band of thugs who try to rob and kill him. Eli then wanders into what I think are the ruins of Flagstaff, Arizona that has become one of humanity's first attempts at rebuilding civilization. By that, I mean a megalomaniac named Carneghie (Gary Oldman) has gone into full Bartertown mode by convincing a gang of well armed toughs to help him throw together a feudal dictatorship. You may get shot at any moment but, sadly, it's still better than facing the gangs of cannibals that roam the landscape outside of town.

Eli only wants to buy some water, get his iPod recharged (seriously) and continue on his mysterious journey. Naturally, this means some asshole used to pushing people around makes the mistake of trying it with Eli. Carneghie decides he wants a guy with Eli's combat skills to work for him but Eli wants no part of it even when he's offered a night in bed with Solara (Mila Kunis), the world's last hot girl. I've grown to like Mila Kunis over the past few years which is odd since I used to find her annoying. These days, though, I usually like it when she shows up in a movie even if the movie isn't that good. Solara makes the mistake of letting Carneghie know that Eli has a Bible and this is where the movie gets dumb. Apparently, after the war, all survivors everywhere decided to burn all Bibles. Why they would do that and let copies of The Da Vinci Code survive is beyond me. Eli said some people thought the Bible was responsible for the war. I just read a story a few hours ago about survivors of the Haitian earthquake meeting in a church with no roof to sing the praises of the God who allowed them to be survivors but, if this post-Apocalyptic world didn't destroy all its Bibles, the movie would be denied a major plot point so into the bonfire they went.

Carneghie wants the Bible because he thinks he can use it to rally the weak minded masses to his cause. Eli, being the pious and religious man he is, shoots his way out of town with the book, just as Jesus would have done. When Solara catches up with him down the road, he tells her that, thirty years earlier, a voice told him to keep the book safe and head west so he's been heading west ever since along roads that are amazingly intact considering there has been zero investment in highway infrastructure since the war.

I won't even give a clue as to what it is but the movie has a big twist ending that involves the nature of the book. Frankly, I think it makes the whole story impossible but it did explain a few things I was wondering about and, even if you hated it, I don't think it makes the basic action/adventure part of the movie any less entertaining.

What I really want to discuss is the odd penchant for people to claim that the movie has a deeply Christian message. Let me break that Christian message down for you. God so loves his children, the people of Earth, that He only allowed 99% of them to die horribly in a nuclear holocaust. For the sake of His beloved children who survive, the Lord Our God will make sure that only 99% of them are thugs, thieves and cannibals who mercilessly rape anything female. But do not worry, Children of God. Your Savior, Jesus Christ, will send a knife wielding fanatic to spread God's message of peace and love by using a machete to chop up anyone who tries to stop him. Also, don't be gay or have premarital sex. Amen.

Despite its flaws, The Book of Eli is a well done action film. Don't ask it to make sense or teach you anything and you should have a good time.

Book of Eli, I think I read this before...

*no spoilers*
The future is so bright, I gotta wear shades- mainly because of the nuclear fallout. The Book of Eli is the latest post-apocalyptic movie to remind us again that we will be spending our days scavenging water and eating emaciated cats. Denzel Washington stars as mysterious road warrior Eli, the protector of the last King James Bible. He is on a journey west and encounters a quagmire of men of questionable character. Along the way he picks up Solara (Milas Kunas) and together they form an odd couple as they try to survive harrassment from mob boss Carnegie played by Gary Oldman. It’s a very simple story of one man’s mission to take his sacred book to the west.

Book of Eli has many familiar components to it as you would expect from this genre. There is a lot of scavenging, bargaining, and shoot outs. It’s like a modern-day, gun slinging ‘old west’ world where the corrupt rule and no one is innocent anymore. Book of Eli reminded me of a remix of the Postman, Mad Max, and more recently The Road. Directors, the Hughes brothers, do an adequate job designing this world. It’s represented well with its gritty muted colors (apparently, the nuclear war had blasted all color from existence). It’s stylized like a graphic novel and overall is done convincingly. Unlike water, the one thing in abundance is slow motion as an element to add tension to scenes. Visually, Book of Eli is fine but nothing I haven’t seen before and nothing to make me look forward to our crappy future.

Denzel does what he does best. He is cool, calculating, and always in control. Journeying for over 30 years, Eli’s character origins are kept somewhat mysterious and it make you wonder how he developed such super combat skills. He is clearly a close combat expert and dead shot unlike the savages he encounters. Denzel brings the usual regal and strong moral centeredness that we have come to love in his others roles. He does fine but it did left me wanting something new or unexpected. Mila Kunis is clearly out of place in this role. Even while trying to down play her natural beauty, her sculpted eyebrows and ’doe like’ eyes are too glamorous for her environment. Her acting doesn’t help her case either. They even try to evolve her character by the end of the film but I couldn’t help but think she won’t survive too much longer in this harsh world.

For the most part, this is a pretty predictable story. There is one glimmer of hope at the end with a small twist however, it wasn’t enough to set this a part from other similar movies. The Book of Eli does have an unusual and subtle Christian focus with how they connect hope and the Bible. It would make for a fascinating discussion in the right settings. Overall I thought this film was fine. Nothing truly bothered me about it but I found it at times as drab as the colorless world they live in. Ultimately, Book of Eli is cool because Denzel is cool. Without him this would have been a different film. If you like post- apocalyptic movies then I would recommend this. If you have to muster enthusiasm for these types of movies then I would skip it and wait for a real thing to occur instead.

Check out more of my reviews at BabbleOn5.com

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Last updated: 2010-02-09 01:48:01 by tonybkim

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli is much like the bajillions of post-apocalyptic landscapes that have been seen in cinemas lately: monotonous, stale and rather predictable. Whether all of this is for artistic or storytelling purposes or not, the tedious traits that would accompany a survivor's life in said conditions make The Book of Eli just another post-end-of-the-world movie.

The Book of Eli is the story of Eli, a journeyman who (pardon my pun) just won't stop believing in his call to go West through a post-apocalyptic America. When his iPod runs out of juice, Eli takes a stop in a town ruled by Carnegie, a fresh water monopolizing man (Gary Oldman) who is searching for one book in particular. And Eli just so happens to have that book (he can read too, which is something not many are able to do). The story probably sounds quite familiar- it should. Carnegie is a classic minion-utilizing, wife abusing meanie looking for power. Eli is the selfless, quiet stranger who decides to help good people out- and rid the world (or what remains of it) of the evil. All The Book of Eli is is an age old Western story given a 21st century face lift.

Throughout The Book of Eli is a stylish coating made up of an under-saturated color palette and many biblical references. The palette (much like the one in The Road, with brown instead of gray) doesn't make up for the lack of originality in the story (since a change in colors for an action or post-apocalyptic movie is pretty much required now). Although the slick action and bad ass bad apple performance by Denzel Washington do partially cover up the gaping hole in the story. The stylized slice n' dice fighting and choreography are quite entertaining and at times fun. There's  some clever lines as well, such as when Eli says how one man won't get his hand back if he touches Eli again. Denzel remains calm and cool even when he looks out numbered, or out gunned. This guise is only heightened by the horde of Biblical references in The Book of Eli. Often times a verse will be quoted in some sort of  preamble before a fight breaks out- which makes things pretty darn sweet. Due to the nature of the story and references, there are many religious messages embedded into The Book of Eli. If one does agree with these ideas, then the movie will be considerably more enjoyable (which made it more bearable for me). The religious messages are there for better or for worse, but the ultimate message may leave plot holes for some.

The Book of Eli's biggest flaw is it's tedious and dry nature. Even if the Hughes brothers were trying to communicate Eli's lifestyle, there is a way to make things at least interesting (see The Road). I still can't believe that I got bored within the first five or ten minutes. Repetitive shots of Denzel Washington entering and exiting a frame populate the opening landscape, as well as multiple takes of him sitting listening to music. And The Book of Eli isn't that long of a movie at 118 minutes. It's just that the story is uneventful at times and the breaks between action are sometimes quite long. A slow story isn't necessarily bad, it's just not fit for this type of movie (especially since Eli is the only character that is emotionally interesting). There's a strange pacing issue as well. What seems to be a minor scene can develop into a large one (for better or for worse) and minimal dialogue exchanges often take longer than they should (and the major ones are a bit too short).
The acting in The Book of Eli isn't really worth mentioning other than Denzel Washington (except he's already been talked about). Mila Kunis (as Solara) can be decent at times, but on the other hand, she sometimes brings down a scene by being kind of annoying. And realistically, no one would be able to remain as attractive as she has when living off of God knows what. Gary Oldman plays Carnegie fairly well at parts. Oldman wasn't given that complicated of a character to work off of. Although by the time the dust all settles, there isn't much satisfaction in seeing what happens to Carnegie.
The Book of Eli is hindered by a tone that could have assisted it greatly. Ultimately, Albert and Allen Hughes couldn't find a singular voice- religious, stylistic or western. Even with a solid revelation and clever Biblical references, The Book of Eli doesn't stand much apart from the huge crop of post-apocalyptic movies around these days. I'm just hoping that there aren't Books of Eli.

48%

The Book of Eli (Movie Review)

An other day, another post-apocalyptic movie. Now it’s Denzel Washington’s turn. The Book of Eli, written by Gary Whitta and directed by brothers Allen and Albert Hughes, stars Denzel Washington as Eli, a survivor of a war which has destroyed most of planet Earth, making his way…guess where…west, yet again. In his travels Eli outwits, out maneuvers and destroys most of the bad folk he meets along the way….until he crosses paths with Carnegie, played waaaaay over the top by Gary Oldman.

Oldman is so over the top I thought at one point he was going to scream to his henchmen the Al Pacino line, “I want Dick Tracy dead!”). Carnegie and his thugs run a very small town with an iron fist. Directly under his thumb and doing his bidding are Jennifer Beals and Mila Kunis, playing an interesting blind mother and daughter duo. It’s when Eli “escapes” the town that the movie finally shifts into high gear and is supremely entertaining and worth your time. Denzel Washington, slumming a bit, does make a convincing thinking man’s action hero. And the Twilight Zone turn would make Rod Serling proud and is what you’ll remember when you leave the theater.

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Last updated: 2010-01-22 07:21:21 by jfuchsman

The Book of Eli

After some days on the road, Eli (Denzel Washington) and Solara (Mila Kunis) drop in (and I mean that literally) at the front door of an elderly couple called George and Martha.

“Whoa“,  I said to myself, “Now that’s interesting!“  You see, the most famous of all the George and Marthas we’ve seen in films are the ones we recall from Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf, the 1966 film of Edward Albee’s play of the same name. Back then we watched Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as the leads in a film that garnered 5 Oscars.

This time around, the onscreen George and Martha shown won’t be picking up any awards for their performances, and we’ll have to settle for film vets Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour instead of Liz and Dickie. We thank the directing twins, the Hughes Bros (Albert and Allen) for yet another of the many cinematic references in their brand new film called The Book Of Eli.

Eli opened in theaters just a few days ago on Friday the 15th, and I caught a 1:00 PM showing today the 18th. Eli begins with a camera creeping along the ground in a place that might have been a forest at one time. There’s  a relatively fresh corpse on the ground that has attracted a hairless cat. Sorry, but that cat’s search for dinner will lead only to it becoming dinner for someone else, via a bow and arrow which is tracked in flight like the arrows of Costner’s Robin Hood. That someone would be Washington’s Eli.

We won’t know that his name is Eli until further along in the film. But even if we don’t know his name, we know his job. He is a Walker. I mention this because he has walked across the broad, but no longer beautiful country for 30 years. Ever since the Big Bang Theory became the Big Bang Reality, and the Earth as we knew it then (now) became a most inhospitable place. And we’ll call him Walker as opposed to Rider because there’s not a horse to be found in the film. But despite this, Eli is as invincible as any of Eastwood’s Pale Riders or his nameless gunmen from the days of the spaghetti westerns.

Eli is traversing America heading West. We don’t know why, and we won’t know why until about 90% of the film has passed by. Along the way he must fight off marauding hordes of highwaymen who’d kill you for a bottle of water, or a zippo lighter, or a bar of soap, if one existed. And Eli is excellent with a handgun or a blade the size of which we’ve not seen in action since Stallone’s Rambo flashed his in First Blood in 1982.

So The Hughes Twins have fashioned another post-apocalyptic film. Substitute Denzel Washington for Mel Gibson’s Mad Max and you’ll instantly know what the surrounding landscape is like, just as you’ll know what the nameless hordes of villains are like.

Ultimately Eli enters a town, which seemed to grind to a halt as soon as entered it. We won’t meet Tina Turner as the town boss. Instead it is Gary Oldman as Carnegie. He’s not a tin pot of a despot as he has lots of cars, weapons, and personnel to toss at Eli.

On the other hand, Eli disposes of them as easily as tossing tree pieces into a wood chipper. While the carnage doesn’t occur in a coliseum like place (Gladiator or Mad Max: Thunderdome and Beyond) the results are the same. Many men enter, one man leaves.

The Hughes have a number of what we call action set pieces in this film, but they’ve contained the gore and mayhem in a more civilized and stylized way. I do realize that what I just wrote is something of an oxymoron as people trying to eviscerate one another is anything but civilized. But then again, given the history of bloodshed anywhere on the planet for the last 1000 years, maybe this is exactly what civilizations do.

About now I should bring in the book. It seems that Eli has it, and Carnegie wants it. Carnegie will kill to get it and the Eli will kill to defend it. And there’s your main plotline.

As we find out toward the end of the film, this book is not what we thought it was – it is both more and less. But that’s all the clues I’ll give you.

The script pays homage to a lot of films, and besides the vets who played George and Martha we will also see Malcolm McDowell and Tom Waits. Washington’s Eli’s is suitably noble and heroic, and Oldman’s Carnegie is suitably evil, but decidedly not over the top. Jennifer Beals plays Carnegie’s blind wife, but the role is mostly a one-note affair, sympathetic and nothing else.  Mila Kunis looks too good for the setting, and her role could have been handled by any 20 something actress.

The Hughes have shot this movie darkly and while Washington and others sport sunglasses – our view is that sky is generally overcast and the film’s base color theme is rusty, dusty, with a pinch of ash.

There’s a lot in the film which they hold back and not reveal too early. Adding the action to the mysteries the film dishes out to us, you do get a movie that holds your interest. But it doesn’t quite reach the level of a thriller. You’ll leave the theater with more unanswered questions in your head about what you just watched than answered – you might even come away thinking that while you are pleased in some sense with the film, the Hughes twins promised a bit more than they actually delivered.

Recommendations: Chak De! India

Last updated: 2010-01-20 18:11:21 by JustMeMike

The Book Of Eli

After seeing this Post-Apocalyptic movie by the Hughes Brothers, the first question I asked out loud was "How did this movie get through the Hollywood system?" More on that in a moment.

This movie takes place 30 years after "the flash", which we can assume is some form of nuclear holocaust. Eli, played by Denzel Washington, is traveling across the scorched landscape on a mission to deliver a book to an unknown destination in the west. He passes through a small "town" ruled by a local overlord named Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman. Carnegie is in search of a very specific book that he believes will give him the power to manipulate and control those around him like never before. Eli recognizes the potential for the book he carries to be used in that way, but also knows that in the right hands it will bring about goodness and restoration to the entire world.

Within the first 30 minutes or so, it becomes clear that this book is the Bible. You heard me right. The Bible.

First I should say that this probably isn't the movie you take your Lutheran grandmother to. But for fans of dark sci-fi like myself, this is a really good thing. This movie has some extremely brutal yet captivating fight sequences. They are almost the opposite of 300's slo-mo "bloody ballet". They are fast moving, messy and ruthless. Eli never once looks for a fight, but he is one of the most efficient killers I've ever seen at the box office.

There are also some great gun fights and explosive moments that sound terrific and are captured with fascinating camera angles and continuous shots that keep the action beats unpredictable.

Washington brings a thoughtful and subtle performance to his role. Despite being a flawless killer, he is also a soft-hearted everyman. Oldman reminds us how well he plays villains and makes me want to take a shower after looking at him for too long.

The color is a little washed out and the environments are dusty and scorched. The visual look of the movie creates a tone of desolation that put me perfectly in the bleak mood the directors intended.

This is a great post-Apocalyptic action flick. But it's also something significantly more.

Because the word "Bible" is only used once or twice near the end of the movie, the film can get away with talking about it quite a bit without feeling preachy. The film acknowledges two things that both Christians and non-Christians should consider. Firstly, it is indicated that the Bible can be used by people to manipulate others. It is even implied that the Bible was used by people to start the war that resulted in "the flash".

As Christians, we need to acknowledge that there are those among us, leaders and laymen alike, who twist the words of scripture to gain power or praise. We can't shrug this off and pretend it is insignificant. We have some housecleaning to do among our own.

Secondly, this film singles out the Bible as unique in its ability to change lives and the very foundation of society for the better, worldwide. Despite showing the Bible on a shelf with the Torah and Koran near the end of the movie, there is an inescapable uniqueness the movie gives to the Bible. And although today popular culture seeks to blend the Bible in with other religious texts, it is undeniable that the Bible has proven far more influential worldwide over the years. It is a book that demands fair-minded examination more than any other.

These two realities regarding the Bible make this movie an easy starting point for extremely worthwhile conversation. This is true whether you are a Christian or not. It's a shame that many Christians will avoid this movie simply because of it's R rating. If your dedication and obedience to Christ will not be compromised by movie violence and hearing some harsh language, I'd recommend buying a ticket for a non-Christian friend and seeing this movie together. Then prepare for some great conversation on the drive home.

Rated R for some brutal violence and language.

Quality: 9.5/10

Relevance: 9.0/10

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