The Book of Eli: Top Movie Review

The Book of Eli

In a town on the west coast Eli, a role done perfectly by Denzel Washington, like he has always done in his other top 10 movies, searches for water after his long and tiring journey during which he had to rely on hunting for food and fight hoodlums for survival. The town he enters has been built by Carnegie. This role by Gary Oldman shall put this film in the list of top rated movies. Carnegie is in search of a book which can give him control over many such towns that he wishes to build. Eli enters the bar and Carnegie finds him a literate man like himself, so he offers Eli to stay and offers him food and shelter.

Eli is served food and water by Claudia who is blind, a difficult role well essayed by Jennifer Beals, a veteran of many top movies. Her daughter Solara, a role played by Mila Kunis, is asked by Carnegie to seduce Eli, to which Eli does not fall prey and offers her food. He tells her to pray along with him before they eat their food. Next day Carnegie overhears her saying the same prayers with her mother and realizes that the words are from the book he is searching. Using his persuasion on Solara he comes to know that Eli has copy of the Bible. Eli plans to leave the town but Carnegie’s henchmen shoot at him and in the battle Eli is able to kill them and injure Carnegie who has seen that the bullets did no harm to Eli.

Solara follows Eli and soon they reach a house whose occupants George, played by Michael Gambon actor of many top rated movies and Martha, essayed by Frances de la Tour, another veteran of top movies, invite them for tea. Carnegie is quick in locating them to the house where they are hiding. George and Martha along with many of Carnegie’s men are killed in the battle that ensues but Carnegie succeeds in capturing Eli and Soalra and forces Eli to hand over the Bible if he wishes to see Solara alive. After taking the Bible from him Carnegie shoots Eli and escapes with Solara, presuming Eli to be dead. Solara somehow escapes and rushes to where Eli is lying unconscious. After facing many hardships on way, they finally reach Alcatraz, which has featured in many top rated movies, where the guards take them to the curator, Lombardi, again a top class act from actor Malcolm McDowell as if he is doing the top 10 movies act. Eli who is blind starts reciting the Bible.

Carnegie finds that he has a Braile copy of the Bible but is unable to force Claudia to read it. His leg wound gets septic and his people start turning hostile and take control of the town. The Bible is printed at Alcatraz and a copy is laid among the copies of Qur’an and Torah. Soon after Eli dies because of his wounds and Solara returns to her town.

Set in a post-war period scenario, the movie written by Gary Whitta and directed by Hughes brothers is almost a perfect movie, having enough potential to be listed among the top 10 movies of the year. The movie leads you to do a lot of serious introspection and thinking. A must watch for all those who pray and those who also pray.