Screenplay:
Gary WhittaCinematography:
Don BurgessCast:
Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Evan Jones, Frances de la Tour, Michael Gambon, Tom Waits, Lateef Crowder (more)Plots(1)
A lone warrior Eli (Denzel Washington) walks in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that was once America. He heads west on a mission he does not fully understand but knows he must complete. In his possession is the last copy of a book he fiercely guards with his life for it holds the only hope for the future. Only Carnegie (Gary Oldman) a self-appointed warlord ruling a town of thieves and gunmen understands the power Eli holds and is determined to make it his own. But nothing can stand in Eli's way to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity. (Sony Pictures Releasing)
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Reviews (9)
A few knife fights and one bigger shootout do not make an action epic. And what's worse, one questionable reveal and a few attempts at existential dialogues do not create a drama at all. The Book of Eli stumbles from nowhere to nowhere, the actors meander precisely into their predictable boxes, and everything ends with one big question mark as to whether this was actually meant seriously. With a reasonable bit of removal, it is still a weaker, disjointed nothingness that is just a few glimpses of a post-apocalyptic atmosphere above the one-star threshold.
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For an action flick, The Book of Eli has too little action (two knife fights that take barely a minute and are more symbolic than physical + one static shootout). It is also too childishly simple for a drama with a message, with a few WTF moments (Denzel Washington’s invincibility, non-sequiturs in the plot and especially the unnecessary extra point in the ending). The post-apocalyptic atmosphere is limited by the film’s budget, and the director’s talent is not enough (the significantly more expensive Terminator Salvation was a lot sexier despite all its stupidity). The actors have nothing to play and the audience finds nothing to entertain them in this movie. As I gave three stars to I Am Legend, which was more engaging and interesting in terms of both visuals and plot, I’ve got to stick with only two stars here.
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It’s not as bad as they say. It has loads of ideas, the actors are great and the brothers in the director’s chair know how move the camera around the action in such that your eyes get an erotic massage at times, which makes the narrative weakness and author’s aimlessness all the more painful. The plot moves mechanically on a previously marked path, without ever developing the nature of a potentially interesting world, whose filth is lost in style, while the climax can’t deliver the punch that the mystery built around Denzel’s character would deserve. It’s watchable, but gratuitous AF. 60%
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While having faith play the main role doesn’t bother me, I would have imagined it a little differently. I'm glad it wasn't just a simple-minded shooter, though. On the other hand, D. Washington was loaded with too much goodness. Not enough badass lines, cleverness, and conviction. But I still find it touching that he memorized the entire Bible.
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As an action movie, this is an absolutely awesome ride that I enjoyed. But then there's the problem that this is actually a movie about being made by a group of strong believers who want to convey a very important message. Without the Bible, we're fucked. This is such unbelievable drivel that I almost wanted to cry sadly at the end.
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