Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis
Directed by: Albert Hughes (“From Hellâ€) and Allen Hughes (“From Hellâ€)
Written by: Gary Whitta (debut)
In comparison to other films that feature lone travelers living in a post-apocalyptic world (“Mad Max,†“Children of Men,†“The Roadâ€), “The Book of Eli†would be the end-of-days-movie-of-the-week. It spouts off religious banter as if it was poetic dialogue and relies on a thoughtless narrative and plot twist, which does nothing to tie up any loose ends.
Oscar winner Denzel Washington (“Training Dayâ€) takes the lead as Eli, a road warrior-type who is traveling west on the desolate highways through a world destroyed by some type of nuclear war 30 years prior. In his backpack he carries the last-known Bible, a book he has kept safe from anyone who tries to take it from him. A machete and shotgun get the point across to the thieves and cannibals who try and make trouble for the isolated journeyman.
But trouble has a way of finding Eli no matter how many limbs he hacks off would-be agitators. When he strolls into a tumbledown town as cool as a cowboy on horseback, Eli is confronted by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the leader of a renegade gang who has been sending his men for years to search for a copy of the Bible. He believes possessing the last Good Book on earth will give him limitless power and help him conquer the rest of humanity as an all-knowing messiah. “It’s not a book, it’s a weapon,†Carnegie gripes to his henchmen.
What he does not count on, however, is Eli’s stubbornness and refusal to give up his prized possession. Tracking him on the road when he escapes the town (not to mention taking along a pretty sidekick played by Mila Kunis of “Max Payne†and TV’s “That 70s Showâ€), Carnegie and his band of greasy-haired thugs will stop at nothing to get the faith-based text.
Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes, the brotherly duo who gave audiences 1993’s “Menace II Society†and 1994’s “Dead Presidents†before taking a 9-year hiatus from filmmaking after the dismal Jack the Ripper-inspired “From Hell†of 2001, there’s not much of a defense the Hugheses can give for their decision to stand behind this work. While there are some well-choreographed scenes, “The Book of Eli†lacks any common sense with a script penned by first-time screenwriter Gary Whitta. What Washington saw in this script is beyond comprehension. This is the type of role that someone like Vin Diesel was made for – a kind of second-rate addition to his “Chronicles of Riddick” series.
God may be all-forgiving, but for The Hughes Brothers and Washington, it’s going to take a little more time to get over this one.
I liked this movie and would give it a B+. While the movie does not contain many action scenes, I was struck by the presence of Eli. Throughout his task, he kept his purpose and his faith. I understand why the movie ended as it did, but I still would have preferred it to finish differently. I recommned watching this movie.