Denzel Washington (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3), an actor who can become a movie character with little disbelief on the part of his audience, is the commanding lead in The Book of Eli. In this intense movie, viewers are reminded of Washington’s worth to the big screen while watching this story, which unfolds like a puzzle.
Denzel Washington
It’s 30 years since a war left most of Earth devastated and few people alive. Those remaining are divided into the strong – who terrorize others to get what they want – and the victims who try to stay clear of them. Eli (Washington) has been walking for 30 years, heading west. He’s not sure where he’s going or why, but a voice guides him, and a mysterious book he hides only to read at night when he’s alone, seems to sustain him even more than the few scrapes of food he finds on his journey.
Eli runs across despots along the way. They try to relieve him of his backpack, but Eli will let nothing separate him from his book. Once when pushed by the leader of a pack, Eli warns the man that if he touches him one more time, he’ll lose his hand. On the second touch, Eli enforces his warning, cutting off the man’s hand in a split second, and just as proficiently killing the others with an arsenal of hidden knives from his body.
Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Beals
When Eli arrives in a somewhat populated town, he’s surprised to find a store where he can get his battery (which he uses for his old ipod) recharged. He enters a bar looking for water. It’s run by thieves and gun-totting brutes under the control of tyrant Carnegie (Gary Oldman).
Eli kills one of the thugs who doesn’t like a stranger, again facing many men ready to end his life. But Eli ends up as the last man standing. Watching from above is the extremely impressed Carnegie, who feeds Eli and offers him a job. Eli refuses but understands that he can’t turn down an invite to spend a night in seclusion and think about it.
Denzel Washington & Mila Kunis
During the night, Carnegie sends his stepdaughter Solara (Mila Kunis) to seduce Eli. Instead, Eli feeds her, treats her kindly, tells her a little about his book, and even teaches Solara to pray. The next day, Solara returns to Carnegie and her mother, Claudia (Jennifer Beals), a different girl. This does not please Carnegie. He believes the book in Eli’s possession is the only remaining Bible on the planet and that it will give him the ultimate power to rule the degenerates left on Earth. He’s really annoyed when he learns Eli has escaped.
Eli is off walking again, but soon realizes he’s being followed by Solara, and after a few more confrontations with Carnegie and his remaining thugs, Eli and Solara head west together.
The Hughes Brothers, Albert and Alan, directed The Book of Eli from a screenplay by Gary Whitta. While I think many movie fans are a little tired of the post-apocalyptic movies, most recently The Road, this film’s somewhat religious plot appears creative and intriguing as does the mysterious man who carries the book.
Washington is profound as Eli, a man who will kill anyone who tires to hamper this journey. Yet he’s so spiritually driven that even with the surprising twists at the end, do we really know who he’s supposed to be.
“Eli is a man on a mission of great importance that he’s been pursuing for a long time,” Washington said. “When we meet him, he’s nearing the end of it but his greatest tests are still to come.”
The theme of good versus evil usually makes for great films. Gary Oldman helps deliver that theme in a terrific performance as a man without redemption. I watched The Book of Eli twice and enjoyed it even more the second time. There were some questions I had in mind that were clearly answered upon a second look, and Washington was just as engaging to watch. Also, the ending seemed even more inspiring when I knew what was coming. There’s some violence, of course, and the film often looks depressing, but the pay-off ending is well worth at least one viewing.
Photo credit: David Lee / Warner Bros. Pictures
