Rent The Book of Eli on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Gary Whitta
Directed by: The Hughes Brothers (Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon, Tom Waits
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.
Verdict
I'm a fan of post-apocalypse movies, and this has a neat concept. A drifter and a warlord fight over the last copy of the Bible. The drifter wants to preserve history, the warlord wants to use it as a weapon for control and to expand his meager empire. This builds an interesting world in a short time with a several great details. The movie is good, but even if it was sub-par the conclusion would make up for it. It's a great conclusion that's going to make you want to watch the entire movie again. It's a lot of fun.
Watch It.
Review
Whitta began his career as a video game journalist. This was his debut film, though he had contributed to various television shows.
In this post-apocalyptic world ash always seems to be floating in the air. We follow Eli (Denzel Washington) across scorched roads and through abandoned houses as he scavenges for supplies. We know he's a good guy as he feeds a mouse that appears near his fire one night. His downtime is spent listening to an old iPod with a rudimentary charging device.
It's a scrappy world. When bandits try to steal his pack, Eli refuses despite being outnumbered six to one. We get an amazing scene of Eli dispatching them, silhouetted under a bridge. He later witnesses an attack but doesn't get involved, telling himself it doesn't concern him and he needs to stay on his own path. Eventually he enters a town and the shop keeper wants to see his hands. Eli claims he's not one of them. One of what? He's allowed to trade and in this world, wet wipes are currency. Hygiene products and water demand a premium.
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| Denzel Washington plays Eli |
The leader of the town, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), searches for a book. We don't know what it is yet, but of course Eli runs afoul of Carnegie's thugs. When Eli manages to subdue all of them, Carnegie takes an interest in the adept fighter. They are two of the few that can remember times before "the flash." Carnegie seeks the Bible, and Eli just happens to have what is likely the only copy in existence. Eli knows enough to get out of town, but he's going to face opposition as Carnegie really wants that book. It's a means of control, and while he says he wants to save people, Carnegie just craves power. The book will be used as a weapon to extend his authoritative regime. Eli can't give it up as he has a mission to fulfill.
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| Denzel Washington plays Eli |
Solara (Mila Kunis) follows Eli out of town. She's not happy with life in the town. You can't blame her. While he tells her she's not built for the road, she doesn't listen. She's soon attacked, and I don't know how Eli found her. She wouldn't have caught up to him, and he doesn't seem like the type to waste his time just to see if she didn't listen. It's plot service. Why did the movie saddle Eli with Solara? It's so he can explain the war and the book to her and in turn the audience. Eli claims the war was over the Bible and all copies were destroyed. He has the last copy, directed by a voice that compelled him to find it. We also find out why people are so worried about shaking hands.
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| Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis play Eli, Solara |
Carnegie catches up to Eli and Solara, forcibly taking the book as Eli refuses to let Solara die over it. While Carnegie's team endured several casualties, he finally has the book. Eli continues his mission west despite having lost the book. Eli is headed to Alcatraz which has become a museum and hub of civilization. They grant him entry as he claims to have a copy of the King James Bible. Concurrently, Carnegie tries to get into Eli's locked Bible. It's not what he thinks. Eli has one more trick up his sleeve.
It's a conclusion that's a complete surprise, and it also makes me want to re-watch this movie to see if I can find the seams. The movie is worth watching without the conclusion, but the final sequence is a big 'wow' moment. This conclusion gives the movie such a boost, it could elevate a sub-par movie, but thankfully this is a solid film.
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