** ½ (out of 4)
Directors: Albert and Allen Hughes
Rated: R (strong language, brutal violence)
Shouldn’t it be enough for a movie to have a decent storyline, a cool star, adequate acting, and an admirable sense of purpose? Or should I actually feel something about the storyline, the star, and that sense of purpose too? No matter how much I wanted to like this movie (and I did want to like this movie), I have to report that I had absolutely no idea how I felt about it as I walked out of the theater. Was it a great action flick/morality tale or just a ridiculously hyper-violent missed opportunity? Alas, if that question has to be asked, then we know the answer. Sorry, but “The Book of Eli” will probably be more satisfying if it comes out in a computer game form eventually.
If your idea of The Bible is pretty much the Book of Revelations, then this is the post-apocalyptic action film for you. It takes itself very seriously with a mix of slow motion psychology and sped-up violence and mayhem. Oh yeah, in case you didn’t know that this is a serious movie the cinematographer has chosen to drown it in sepia tones and sand-storm haze. Constantly. Think of it as the anti-“Avatar,” but with twice the plot and half the imagination.
“The Book of Eli” is merely the latest arrival in the endless line of end-of-the-world type films. It is a genre that the Hughes Brothers (“Menace II Society” and “Dead Presidents”) seem right at home with. Once more,they have made a film where violence is central to the story.
Denzel Washington plays the generic survivor of a “flash” that devastated the Earth years ago. He is named Eli Walker (Get it?) He’s been walking to the west coast for 30 years, carrying the last copy of a certain book. (Yes, this movie is that obvious and simplistic, while pretending to be that important and symbolic.)
Denzel Washington is one of those actors that are always enjoyable to see up on the screen. If you’re going to make a futuristic Clint Eastwood film, Denzel is the hero that you are going to want to see. He has a natural dignity and charisma that creates an instant rapport with the audience… and that can go a long way in a star vehicle. But only so far. It cannot go all the way across the post-nuclear wasteland, no matter how many bad guy’s hands he slices off along the way.
Along the way, our cool action hero Denzel runs into the hyper-cool supermodel Mila Kunis. For a film set in an America where people kill each other for a Chapstick, I couldn’t help but wonder where she got her perfectly blended makeup and mascara.
Once the movie descends into Wild West melodrama, there are two performances that are successfully over-the-top: Michael Gambon, and Frances de la Tour as an old couple, George and Martha (Once again, yes – this movie is that obvious), whose farmhouse becomes the sight of a pretty spectacular shootout. (Of course, it made me wonder about the lack of bullets left in the world that the script kept referring to for the previous hour and a half).
Another great performance comes from Gary Oldman, who is a scene-stealer, as usual. He plays Carnegie, a bad guy who controls the local water supply. He relishes every moment as the evil guy trying to get his hands on the “book” that our hero is protecting in his backpack.
Speaking of that “book,” I found it almost ludicrous the way that no one called it The Bible until well into the movie. Either, it was meant to create suspense, or it was meant to maintain a sense of abstractness. In either case, it failed. By the time we hear the actual word “Bible” it is preceded by the words “King James.” So is there some sort of not so hidden agenda here that I just don’t really care enough to think about too hard? And let’s not forget the sinister reference that this book may have been the cause of the great “flash” that nearly ended life as we know it.
When I got really bored watching “The Book of Eli,” I began to do the math. If it took Denzel 30 years to reach the West Coast, from, say, New York City… that’s 2800 miles or so, divided by 30… equals 93.33 miles per year. That’s just a little over a quarter-mile per day. Really? Come on. This guy doesn’t seem that committed to God after all.
Considering how many people Eli kills along the way, as he protects “the book,” and considering his inability to understand or communicate the meaning of “the book,” I can’t help but question what this movie has to do with religion in any way. The way that the film focuses on violence, rather than make any bold statement on the subject of religious tolerance and protection is disappointing. Here was a chance for Hollywood to make some progress, in that it had a message worth delivering, and it had the cast and budget to do it in epic fashion. But the movie ends up being wishy-washy and almost apologetic, when it could have been an important film.
In the beginning, there was the challenge to decide just what kind of film “The Book of Eli” should be. Unfortunately, the directors couldn’t decide if it should be a post-apocalyptic action/Western in the style of “Mad Max,” or a serious tale of one man’s mission to protect good from evil. In the end, there was only the revelation that Hollywood needs more practice in creating good films that respect even a very slight religious theme. In the meantime, at least it’s good to see Denzel Washington back in the saddle again.
