The Book of Eli: Review

Evidence of a once flourishing civilization is smashed to pieces, with roads destroyed, buildings reduced to rubble and skeletal corpses lay untouched seemingly where they fell after the horror of war.

Technology is scarce, with Eli possessing seemingly the last I-pod on Earth (great product placement), powering it with an old car battery.

Eli is a pacifist that just wants to get by, travelling from one ruined town to another trading what little possessions he owns for the most basic of life's needs, such as water. Opportunistic thieves try to hoax him in to a trap in one particular scene, a big mistake as Eli cuts down the thieves in a violent, polished and well choreographed action sequence.

The book Eli is carrying is one of the last Bibles on Earth, and with nearly a whole generation wiped out the ruthless Carnegie (Gary Oldman) knows the book could be a powerful tool to either liberate of control his town of marauders.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world the film has a western feel, tinged with the importance of religion in a time of crisis. I have seen many Denzel Washington films over the years and have to say this was an interesting but strange film to see him in. Over the years Denzel Washington has amassed a credible back catalogue of films, Man on Fire, Training Day and Inside Man to name a few but none have cast him quite like this film.

The end of this film is truly bizarre, and given the fact that throughout the film Washington amasses quite a body count, the revelation uncovered when Carnegie obtains the Bible from Eli is quite frankly unbelievable, let's just say a miracle on a biblical scale.

The Hughes Brothers return to the big screen to tell the story of one man's journey of faith, guarding the bible across his journey through a decimated America until chance or divine intervention delivers him to his goal.

Gary Oldman plays a fantastic villain in The Book of Eli; he is a villain with substance and sophistication a very multi-layered and complex character, way more complex than that of his rival Washington. He has the urge to live again, like before, build new civilizations towns and cities, and use the book as the basis to do it.

During the later scenes Washington accompanies Solara, the daughter of Carnegie's mistress through the desert. Solara, played by Mila Kunis, gives the most ordinary performance of the film. Her acting is not particularly good or bad, just a bit mechanical and not really adding anything to the fantastic performances of Oldman and Washington.

This film is certainly worth a watch, it is violent in parts but the fight scenes are choreographed beautifully. The Book of Eli has strange sometimes overpowering religious undertones but I concede that it is part of the charm of the film.

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