The Book of Eli Review

"Believe" - tagline

Believe in what? Hard to say. But believe me when I say this is a movie you won't be sorry you saw. Now watching the trailers for this I thought that this would be a very religious movie where the religious aspects are downplayed considerably by nonstop action and its two mega stars Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, but a good movie nevertheless. Now after watching The Book of Eli, I've decided that that mindless action undermining spirituality movie is destined to be Legion. The Book of Eli, directed by the very talented Allen and Albert Hughes, is the kind of action movie that should be made more in this new decade.

The movie is set in the future, I don't know how far in, where "a war" has left the world in a dystopian state and the last remaining humans are not zombies but scavengers, thieves and killers. A wandering man named Eli (Denzel Washington), at least I think his name is Eli, journeys west alone on what seems to be blind faith and has been doing so for over thirty years. In his possession is a book, the last of its kind, that holds salvation for many people. The book is made up like it's some kind of mystery but really you can tell what it is before you see the movie. Eli would like to have no trouble on his journey but he is in Road Warrior territory so there really is nothing he can do but fend for himself and he does that very well. Unfortunately he ends up in a makeshift town in the middle of nowhere run by the corrupt Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who has ironically been searching for the same book Eli has and won't give up. After teaming up with a resiliant young woman (Mila Kunis), Eli must fight his biggest battle and protect the book from Carnegie's forces.

I found this to be a very cool movie. It is deep and grim but it also has a touch of humor and charm. The Hughes Brothers' direction is almost flawless. Cinematography is especially cool here; the tint is almost sepia tone and some action scenes do what appear to be single shot 360 degree go arounds. Action is fast paced, gritty but smooth. If Denzel is given a weapon in a movie, you can just about guarentee he can use it well. The actors in this movie are the best part, we have the big stars here performing at the top of their game. Denzel Washington plays the solemn loner on a mission with great subtlety and grace. But we shall not forget that he is a badass. Washington, like Liam Neeson, is the kind of big powerhouse actor who just has to go and make a freaking awesome action movie to remind people that he didn't just star in Philadelphia, Glory, and Crimson Tide. He has to remind people that he kicked some ass in Man on Fire, shook shit up in John Q, and won in academy award playing gangster-esque dirty cop Alonzo Harris in Training Day. Yeah, people best remember that Denzel. And Gary Oldman too. Sure he can be all civil and play James Gordon in Nolan's Batman movies but once upon a time Gary Oldman was the guy you got for two roles: villainous douchebags and villainous psychopaths. He's a villainous douchebag here and god do I love it. And how about a strong performance from Mila Kunis, moving further away from That '70s Show with every new role and showing more talent each time as well. And playing her mother is Jennifer Beals, you know from Flashdance, who plays repressed, strong and blind very well. Her character had a lot of conviction. And apocalypse or not, she's still beautiful. And a bunch of great supporting characters like Ray Stevenson as Oldman's right hand man with a personality, Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour as the not so familiar kindly old folks (they're a damn good surprise), Malcolm MacDowell in a role I wish he had more often later in the film, and finally Tom Waits as an engineer of sorts. The scenes with Denzel and Waits are my favorite.

The spiritual aspect behind the movie is what may divide some people. This movie is not extremely preachy. I am agnostic, as you readers know, and I found the theme of hope and faith in dark times was what the movie was about. If you are not of the faith and are just looking for action, you will probably like this movie. If you are of the faith and think the action will ruin it, you are probably wrong and you'll like it too. I went into the movie expecting the action and the spirituality, but what I was looking for was for was a good film and for action and spirituality to mesh decently. I got what I wanted.

The Book of Eli is not The Road but it is a good dystopian movie. It has the look, the feel, the little details that make this world on the brink work. I was reminded partially of The Road, I Am Legend, and of course The Road Warrior. The characters are great, especially Eli, who is not at all your traditional man following the word of God. He has a few surprises. And what of his book, is the book exactly what you think it is. Sure you may get the title right, but it's what's inside that counts. The whole time watching the movie I thought I'd be wrong and the book was just a dictionary. At one point the funny thought that it was The Da Vinci Code crossed my mind, but we see what becomes of that book.

In the end I will only ask you to watch The Book of Eli, it is a very enjoyable film and the first real action movie of 2010 and hopefully there are more like it.

This has been a positive review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.