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A 2010 American film starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
< read all 22 reviews
Rating:
Pros: Washington & Oldman
+3
Cons: none for me
The Bottom Line:
"Not At This Time In My Life
How Can I Hear Your Call In This Windy Night"
~Houston Calls
It has been a while since the Hughes brothers, Albert & Allen, have offered us a project, but joining with writer Gary Whitta, they have given us The Book of Eli. It is rated R for language and violence and has been nominated, to date, for five awards.
The Movie:
It is 30+ years after WWIII and survivors speak of The Flash, which leads me to believe we finally did it and pushed the wrong button. Many of those left are blind, all live in towns, reminding you of hovels, or wander the wastelands looking for goods, or to snack on another human. Yes, cannibalism reigns.
Out of this we have the usual forces of good and evil, played by Eli, a walker, and Carnegie, a town leader. Eli, holder of The Book, is on a seemingly never ending quest to go west and Carnegie is on his own quest, finding The Book.
The Book, of course, is the sole remaining copy of The Bible. After the war it was deemed The Bible was the basis for all evil and every copy was burned, save this one. Eli came across it through a prophetic dream and has been given safe passage to carry it to the west and the burgeoning society. Carnegie, on the other hand, wants it to gain control over the surviving people and the land.
Although his speech seems reasonable; people need something to believe in again in order to set society right once more, we see the glint of evil behind it, the wish for power and dominance.
The Actors:
Denzel Washington is Eli. Calm, complacent, strong when needed. He has but one goal, delivery of The Book to the west. Naturally he is perfect for this part, as always, because he is a person that exudes that persona of simplistic belief and power. He always appears so calm and together in his roles, yet his physical carriage and demeanor shows he can revert to whatever is needed to survive.
Gary Oldman, as Carnegie, is just as perfect. His characters always seem so obsessive, bordering on psychotic, and he plays it wonderfully. Joining him are Mila Kunis as Solara, a young girl Carnegie uses as a pawn, and her mother, Jennifer Beals as Claudia, Carnegie's blind girlfriend.
Overall:
As a post-apocalyptic film, it reminds me of Mad Maxx, with is washed out tones and bleak landscape. Everything is shown in varying shades of brown and gray, with limited spurts of color. Much like that film, it also had its array of weaponry - armored cars, gatling guns - and the evil behind them.
Some of the things difficult to wrap my head around is how Solara and Claudia both looked so delicious, even clean, and everyone else reeked of unwashed bodies and clothes. You would think it was because they were under Carnegie's care, but he paid them little mind and gave them no real affection.
Personally I had no problem with the religious feeling around this movie. It IS centered on the remaining copy of The Bible, after all. I also had no problem with the cute little twist at the ending, finding it deserving to those that put themselves above others in order to better themselves.
The film played well, a few slow moments, good fight scenes, some gore, clear viewing despite the bleached coloration.
thanks,
Susi
This is an entry into the January Lean-n-Mean contest.
Recommended:
Yes
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Scotman
January 28, 2011
Good review and I completely agree, but I gave it 5 stars!
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FM_ALEX
January 27, 2011
I loved this film, great review.
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More The Book of Eli reviews
review by liago4.
November 10, 2010
The Book of Eli was a highly anticipated film for me and although some of my friends had their issues I loved it. This isn't a perfect movie but it was a damn good one. Anywho, here goes the synopsis, In 2042, thirty years after an apocalyptic event, Eli (Denzel Washington) travels on foot toward the west coast of the United States. He keeps very little on him, somehow he has a working ipod, sunglasses, and a heavy arsenal that makes him one the deadliest men still alive. … more
Comments (9)
Compliments (81)
review by sniffcode.
January 18, 2010
A quick visit to Wikipedia and I discover that Mr. Gary Oldman is starting to live up to his namesake. No offense, of course, to those over the nice round age of 50. In fact, take it as a compliment. It means that at the age of 51 you can still intimidate the heck out of us younger-folk. That is, if you are anything like Gary Oldman. Even past his 50s he remains one of the most unnerving personas to hit the screen. And boy does he rattle the nerves in The Book of Eli. Another … more
Comments (9)
Compliments (69)
A Synopsis based solely on the trailer: Denzel Washington (Eli) plays a guy that is a cross between Mad Max and Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil. Eli has a chip on his shoulder. I’m not surprised. He has been wondering the earth since its destruction 30 years ago. Wandering by yourself would give you psychological problems. One of Eli’s biggest psychology problems is that he doesn’t like to be touched. If you touch … more
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Compliments (21)
Quick Tip by Brittany92.
June 23, 2010
A great movie with a bit of a surprisng wtist in the end.
Comment
Compliments (3)
Quick Tip by Sheena4ya.
May 21, 2010
good book good movie
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Compliment
review by rmurray847.
January 18, 2010
The world following the apocalypse has become a nearly barren desert, populated by loosely knit groups of humans who cling to survival with dirty talons, and make little effort to cling to civilization. Many drive modified motorcycles. Into this desolation wanders a lonely figure, reluctantly on a journey that urges him to disassociate from humanity in favor of headlong movement across the landscape. He is also a ferocious fighter when he needs to be, and under the hard exterior is capable of feeling … more
Comments (3)
Compliments (12)
review by garethvk.
January 17, 2010
Pros: Great Cast and Story. Cons: Some may find message to heavy. The Bottom Line: A solid and entertaining film with a good message. In a post apocalyptic future, a loan man travels the desolate roads on a solitary quest. The man known only as Eli (Denzel Washington), has been travelling west for decades on a mission of faith after receiving what he believes to be a mission of divine origin. The solitary … more
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Compliments (12)
Quick Tip by Scotman.
January 18, 2010
You got to have faith when there's no love. An apocalyptic future; one man has the key - and others want badly enough to kill. Great film.
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Compliment
About the reviewer
Susi Dawson (SusiDee34)
Ranked #44
Ranked #44
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About this movie
The Book of Eli is a 2010 American film starring Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. It was directed by Albert and Allen Hughes and written by Gary Whitta. The film was released on January 15th 2010.
Based in post-apocalyptic 2043, The Book of Eli follows the life of one man (Washington) who in his posses ion holds the last bible on Earth.
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Based in post-apocalyptic 2043, The Book of Eli follows the life of one man (Washington) who in his posses ion holds the last bible on Earth.
Director:
Albert Hughes,
Allen Hughes
Genre:
Action,
Adventure
Release Date:
January 15, 2010
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
Gary Whitta
Runtime:
118 minutes
Studio:
Alcon Entertainment,
Silver Pictures,
Warner Bros Pictures,
Columbia Pictures
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