Denzel Washington takes us on a mystical tour of humanity in the future. The magic of this film is the weaving of a spiritual journey into an action tale. Denzel is now an action hero, a gladiator fighting the forces of evil that has taken over the world.
The Book Of Eli was written by Gary Whitta a newcomer to the scene. The directorial tasks fell to the Hughes brothers, Allen and Albert, of Dead Presidents fame. Their subtle direction and the relative quiet of the first few minutes takes into their future world. Then the world explodes with some great battle scenes with Denzel dispatching a bunch of bad guys. Most unexpected.
The story is set some thirty years in the future, after a nuclear explosion called The Big Flash. The United States is a wasteland of eerie gray skies and the rubble of civilization. Eli, Denzel Washington, is traveling through the desolate desert heading always west. He tries to stay out of trouble, but it seems to find him. The world is filled with people just trying to survive and lawless bands wreaking havoc on the rest of society. Killing for water, food and just because. Human kind as a whole has become cannibals.
Eli reads every day from a book he handles with reverence, called The Book of Eli. He also listens to music every night on his iPod. Yes, that’s right, his iPod. During Eli’s journey he avoids cities and people. He ventures into a town in search of water and to charge his iPod. The town is run by Carnegie, Gary Oldman, the classic bad guy in charge of a band of cut throats and thieves. We meet Claudia, Jennifer Beals, of Flashdance fame, as Carnegie’s blind mistress and Solara, Mila Kunis, of That 70’s Show, as her daughter. Both women are trapped into servitude by Carnegie, and do his bidding to survive.
While Eli is getting some water, he is confronted by Carnegie’s gang and has to fight his way out. It is a really well done action scene. Carnegie is impressed and asks Eli to join he marry band of mayhem makers. Eli refuses and is asked to think about it overnight. Carnegie does not want to have to kill him so he sends Solara to seduce him. Believe it or not, Eli turns down Solara, which instills fear and awe in her. She asks to stay the night to avoid Carnegie’s wrath.
The next day Eli tries to leave and another great battle ensues. Eli is a master of the pistol, shotgun and the sword. He kicks some major butt and leaves town. Solara tells Carnegie about the secret book Eli is carrying.
Eli discovers Solara following him and tells her to go back. Solara feels she would be safer with him, but is forced to leave. Solara then is jumped by thieves and Eli appears to save her. He reluctantly lets her join him. Solara then learns about the book, it is the Bible, and she is really moved by the verses Eli reads to her. Eli tells her that thirty years ago he heard a voice that told him where to find the Bible and to take it to the west coast. If Eli agreed to this task he would be protected and guided to his destination.
Meanwhile, Carnegie decides that he must have the book and that Solara is gone. He then pursues Eli and discovers Solara is with him. Another epic battle takes place and Eli is forced to give up the book and is stabbed by Carnegie and left for dead. Solara is forced to go with Carnegie and her outrage turns to violence and she wrecks the convoy and steals a truck and heads back to retrieve Eli’s body.
Solara is shocked to find there is no body. She heads west and finds Eli on the road and they both venture west. Eli is a tough guy and survives. They both end up on the coast at the Golden Gate bridge, and find the survivors holed up on Alcatraz Island. Eli gains admittance by claiming he has a copy of the King James Bible. The last scenes are of a printing press making copies of the bible.
I must leave untold the aptly deserved fate of Carnegie and Eli’s shocking secret. Solara also has a tale to be told.
Gary Oldman gives a tour de force performance as an evil warlord. His menace is felt through the screen. Denzel Washington give a tensely layered character with soul. His action hero status is assured with the athletic samuria like battle scenes. Mila Kunis breaks out with a very good, subtle yet crafted character.
It’s not often that you can blend the bible, mankind’s salvation and an action movie and make a great movie, The Book of Eli is that movie. The Book of Eli is a spiritual journey with the subtle under tones of what we as a society may yet endure. This is a must see movie.
