Washington stars as a wandering, road warrior named Eli. Or atleast we think that's his name. He never actually admits to that. Eli's been walking the hard road for 30 years, headed to an unknown idyllic destination only he knows. The world he traverses hasn't been the same since some sort of catastrophic event killed most of the world's population and left the planet a desolate, barren landscape. Eli has learned to fend for himself, not only to stay alive but to protect his one prized posession: a book. Not just any book, but I won't give that away. Suffice it to say it's not a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Eli is more than just a traveller. When I say he knows how to "fend for himself", it means he might as well be a Sherman tank. He's equipped with all sorts of hand crafted weapons, and takes down dirtball adversaries with relative ease. The road is littered with bandits looking to rob and kill any passersby. They aren't smart enough to realize that even in a deserted, post nuclear landscape, Denzel Washington is still the coolest guy in the room.
Eli's wandering leads him to an isolated town, reminiscent of the tiny dustbins of classic Westerns. Like in all those old films, they populace is terrified and malcontent. There's always a gang of snaggle toothed hoods who run things, led by a brilliant but evil taskmaster. In this case it's a man named Carnegie(Gary Oldman), a learned man who runs the town with an iron fist. He's a reader of such fine works as Oprah Magazine and the Da Vinci Code. In this world those would be considered classics, I guess. He blind, mistreated wife Claudia, and her naive but hopeful daughter, Solara(Mila Kunis).What Carnegie is looking for is one book in particular. A book that he thinks will help him rule the country. Anyone want to guess who has the book? Think Eli gives it up willingly? What kinda film would that be?
The Hughes Brothers were two of my favorite directors in the 90's. They directed the best urban "hood" movie in 1993's Menace II Society
. They went their separate ways soon after directing Johnny Depp in From Hell back in 2001. The reason I liked them so much was that they were two African-American directors who weren't afraid to make something outside of the norm during a time when most were making the same old gangster stuff. They do a good job here letting Denzel be the film's center. They know well enough that his mere presence is enough to give every scene a suave touch that few others can match. They clearly emulate the style of classic Sergio Argones westerns, from the film's look down to the shootouts. I kept expecting a tumbleweed to blow across the screen and for somebody's cattle to get rustled. Denzel plays Eli like The Man with No Name. A dogged, determined, close mouthed badass with a chip on his shoulder that he's daring you to knock off. He's the only actor who, in the midst of a world with no real technology to speak of, can whip out an Ipod and some Al Green and make it seem credible. He is the epitome of cool. Gary Oldman's villainous work speaks for itself. For him, Carnegie is an understated role, not nearly as off-the-wall as he's played in the past. He plays Carnegie as Eli's intellectual equal, but with with an air of desperation just beneath the surface. Mila Kunis is really starting to come into her own in these dark action flicks, usually as a sidekick of sorts. She was the only likable thing about that awful Max Payne movie last year. She's a breath of fresh air in a mostly heavy and serious story.
I liked The Book of Eli, but I didn't love it. To me it's an above average January action flick. It won't be all that you think it is, but you won't be disappointed in it, either. You will have fun with it, and I can pretty much guarantee that the ending will leave plenty to discuss later. No chance of me spoiling that here. Just have faith that the ride will be worth it.
6/10
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