The Book of Eli

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Michael Gambon
Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, Eli (Denzel Washington) travels west with a book he believes will change the world. He runs afoul of a small town kingpin (Gary Oldman) who wants the book for his own purposes.

Review:

Tim: The Book of Eli is an unconventional movie. It is an action adventure movie, but it has some powerful religious themes as well. The movie is occasionally violent, but in a restrained way. The violence serves a purpose, and is never gratuitous. This movie starts out strong and continues building throughout the whole film. The momentum is apparent, as events continue to build and build, until it is apparent that the whole film is building towards the conclusion. However, the conclusion is a polarizing one. I appreciated the interesting twist at the end, but it made me rethink the entire film, and not in a good way. I was really, really enjoying the film until the twist, and then, I thought it was just okay.

I have to hand it to the Hughes Brothers for creating such a different movie. I know religious people who would never consider watching a post apocalyptic action movie, who were praising this movie for its message. I suppose the film does have a good message, and it is nice to see an action movie that can also deliver a powerful spiritual message. I loved that aspect of The Book of Eli. This is a unique, different movie, and that is refreshing.

I also loved the cinematography in this film. The bleak landscape shots, the action sequences, and especially the camerawork was oftentimes stunning. The shoot out at the old house is terrific, and there are some amazing explosions as well. There are a number of hand-to-hand combat scenes which are likewise amazing. For a smaller movie, this film featured some of the most impressive action scenes I've seen in recent years.

While these are all great, the real star of the show is Denzel Washington. I've always liked him and expect great things from him, but I was even impressed with his performance here. Washington is calm, collected, and bad ass. This is one of his best performances, in quite a restrained and quiet manner. His Eli is an interesting, occasionally fascinating character. Washington brings class to the film, and showcases his acting talent. So often, Washington has been cast as cops or FBI agents, and I like that, but I want something more. This role isn't a great stretch, but it is different. He was able to tap into different elements of his character, and I loved that.

Gary Oldman is quite good as well. He always makes a good antagonist, and he was able to unleash himself here. He isn't a showstopper or scene stealer here, but he works extremely well in the part. I thought he brought some multidimensional aspects to the character, which was much needed. I also liked the casting of Mila Kunis. I think Kunis has the talent to become a formidable actress, and I am glad to see she stepped out of her typical roles here. I thought she worked well in the film, and interacted well with Washington. I liked their scenes together.

As I said, for the majority of The Book of Eli, I was very much enjoying the film. I loved the action, the cinematography, and the different elements of the story. I was very interested in the mystery aspect, and I wanted to understand what all of it meant. However, I struggle a bit with the ending. I appreciated the idea of the twist, and I liked how it made me think. However, I didn't love it, and I didn't completely buy it. Even after watching the movie multiple times, I still think there is a great deal of suspension of disbelief required to believe the twist. It required a bit too much. This is true for the ending as a whole. Without spoiling anything, Washington exhibits some amazing mental abilities at the end, which I found very hard to believe. Still, The Book of Eli is a very different, entertaining movie, and I did like it.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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