I'm sorry I missed The Book Of Eli in the theatres. The film has such a great, monochromatic look and feel about it that would have been stunning to see on the big screen. It is the first film by Albert and Allen Hughes since 2001's From Hell and they have not lost their gift for cinematic story telling.
The world has been reduced to a vast wasteland after an apocalyptic event occurred 30 years ago. The event was so serious it opened a hole in the ozone layer and everything touched by the sun burned. The few humans that survived did so by hiding underground for a year.
We learn about these events from Eli. He is a survivor and a literate man a rarity in this world. Eli is a post modernist prophet. He has been entrusted to deliver the word of God and his belief in that word has given him the faith to keep going all these years. Eli is making his way across this desolated land. He is on a mission and woe to those who get in his way. Whether he is hunting fresh meat (cat) or standing tall against those who would rob him and eat him; yes cannibalism is common in this world, Eli can take care of himself.
His mission is to deliver the last copy of the King James version of the Holy Bible left on the planet, to safe keeping in the west. He has been on this mission for thirty years; wandering in this new post modern desert. His mission is almost at an end when he wanders into a small town ruled by despotic man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman). Carnegie is also a survivor and a literate man. he Understands the power of words and he has been on a quest to find a Bible that he can use to increase his power. The confrontation between these two men sets up the central conflict of the movie.
The movie has a number of violent action set pieces and feels very much like a bizarre western, but it offers themes and ideas that make it more engaging. It is rare for a modern movie, especially an action thriller to take on such overt religious themes. The movie boldly states that the power of the Bible can be used to corrupt when in the wrong hands and be uplifting and restore faith when in the right hands. Not common subject matter for today's films.
Denzel Washington gives another outstanding performance as Eli. It is another in a series of morally ambiguous men that he has played recently. He will kill without hesitation any who threaten him and he does not deviate from his mission to assist a woman who is being attacked by bandits. But he believes in retribution and punishment for sins. He prays and reads his bible everyday.
The film has some other stand out performances. Oldman is excellent as the despotic ruler and Jennifer Beales does a nice turn as his wife Claudia, who seems more of a slave. And Mila Kunis holds her own as Solara, Claudia's daughter, who joins Eli on the last part of his quest.
There are plenty of violent moments, one of the best is when Eli is set upon by bandits in the beginning of the film. The action takes place under an overpass and his filmed in stark profile. There is an old west style shoot out with bullets flying, typical of today's action movies, once again all the villains are poor marksmen, or are they? The film offers another explanation for Eli's inability to be injured.
The film offers a final twist that changes everything that came before. Some critics hated this, others loved it. I'll leave it to you to decide.
At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars
Other films of interest:
Mad Max
Road warrior
Stephen King's The Stand (mini-series)
The Road
The Omega Man
I Am Legend
Planet Of The Apes
28 Days Later
12 Monkeys
Children Of Men
1 comment:
great review and I agree a very good movie...It might be interesting to point out that during the movie their are people who "shake"...they have a noticable twitch...this is a little known side affect of cannabalism (mad cow)...also, strong suggestion,...do a review of The Road and compare the two...very interesting next to one another
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