In a world filled with cannibals and crime bosses, it may just take a little faith to survive. “The Book of Eli” tells the story of one man’s journey to fulfill his destiny and answer a divine calling.
After enjoying life outside the director’s chair for the past nine years, brothers Albert and Allen Hughes (”From Hell”) reunite for the pair’s fifth directorial collaboration.
The story follows Eli (Denzel Washington), a lone traveler headed “west” as he struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Merely surviving isn’t his top priority, though. He feels that he has been commissioned by God to protect what is presumably the last Bible on earth.
Thirty years before the film takes place, certain books were considered dangerous and inspired their followers to start global conflicts, resulting in the world’s “Mad Max”-style makeover. Now that the environment has been destroyed and the world has been knocked back into the Stone Age, the supply of books is pretty scarce.
Aside from the usual cannibalistic scavengers and their roadside traps, Eli must overcome the local baddie (Gary Oldman) and his hired guns as well. Mila Kunis is also along for the ride, playing the non-romantic damsel in distress in this futuristic westerner.
If there is one thing that was done to perfection in this film, it is the cinematography. Don Burgess does a great job at creating a setting in which society has gone to waste. One can feel the dark, disgusting environment of this world where something as simple as clean water can be nearly impossible to find.
The film’s tedious pace, religious undertones and peacefully quiet protagonist play out as an interesting mixture of old samurai films and a handful of John Wayne movies. While it can be a little slow at times, the film has just the right amount of action to make the wait worthwhile for the audience.
One of the few flaws of the film is writer Gary Whitta’s script. Believe it or not, this is the first time Whitta, who was the editor of PC Gamer only a short time ago, has written something for the screen. Whitta’s script isn’t horrendous by any means, but it is a cliche or two away from being of poor quality.
Despite the impressive credentials of Oldman and Washington, Kunis actually holds her own in the acting department. Aside from the abysmal “Max Payne,” she is continually looking better in each of her films, which is more than one can say of her former “That 70’s Show” castmates.
All in all, “The Book of Eli” delivers more than just a few action sequences; it provides an in-depth study of organized religion. Unlike “The Invention of Lying,” Ricky Gervais’ religious parody from last year, the film shows the positive power of faith as well as the ways in which mankind can manipulate it.
Whether or not one believes in a higher being of some sort, there is no denying that each side deserves to state their case, and it is a good thing that Hollywood is starting to come back to a place of neutrality. After all, people can only make so many movies about the evil Bush administration.
3 out of 5 stars
