FILM REVIEW: The Book of Eli

Posted by: Tony – Jan 16, 2010

The Book of Eli, the new film from the Hughes Brothers starring Denzel Washington, is an interesting demonstration on how the use of multiple cliches that are not often seen together can make things that are old and tired seem new again. The film is a western in that it centers around a lone man traveling West who stops in a small filthy town controlled by a corrupt bar owner. The film is science fiction because it is set in a post-apocalyptic future where only a few survivors live in a wasteland caused presumably by a nuclear war. Lastly, what the trailers for this film show off the most, it is a straight up action flick with gunfights, knife fights, and plenty of brutal fisticuffs. Amazingly, cramming so much together into one film works fairly well as this genre hybrid proves to be very entertaining.

The film follows Denzel Washington as the lone traveller Eli. This may not be his real name, but it is written on the name tag in his backpack. The film opens with him scavenging for food and supplies so the bag might just have been a found prize. He never offers a different name for himself, but we also learn that he has been walking so long he cannot remember his own age. His name may have also slipped his mind. One thing Eli definitely does remember, though, is how to fight. He is a master at combat with a large knife as well as various guns. These skills come in handy early in the film when an armed group of thugs tries to steal his pack. Eli kills them all. He refuses to part with the bag because it contains more than just supplies. Eli also carries a book which he believes to be very important to the future of the post-apocalyptic world.

Eli was alive before the war that destroyed the world as we know, so books are important to him. It seems, though, that most younger people born after the catastrophe lack the ability to read. Because of this, people do not generally bother Eli over his book as much as they would his canteen of water. This changes when Eli stops in a small town to barter for supplies. The town is controlled by Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman. He is one of those villains who achieves power through his capacity for violence. He is not physically intimidating, but he is smart, and he is willing to inflict a great deal of pain on anyone who gets in the way of his goals. It turns out Carnegie has had goons out searching for a copy of Eli’s book for some time. While Eli sees it as a tool to instill hope and help people, Carnegie sees it as a weapon to increase his control over people. The two men do not find each other agreeable.

From that point on, the film expectedly turns into a series of chases and fights as Eli tries to continue traveling West where he believes the book will be safe, and Carnegie sends out henchmen to kill him and retrieve the book. Most everyone has likely figured out what the book is. You may have also heard that this film has a twist ending. Do not avoid this movie because you have realized what the book is. The twist is far more surprising than that. In fact, it is implausible to the point of being totally absurd. It is so unexpected, though, that we can forgive the absurdity and suspend our disbelief, if just for a few moments. Do not spoil this movie for yourself. This is one surprise you will definitely not figure out ahead of time.

In the end, the film delivers exactly what the trailers promise. No more, no less. It is an exciting futuristic western with a lot of action and an excellent surprise waiting at the end. It is not so good that anyone need urgently rush out to see it, but if you have some free time and feel like catching a movie, The Book of Eli would not be a bad choice.