The Book of Eli -- Review

How would you picture the world in say 15-20 years?  Would we be surviving in a world that had turned a new leaf and was now flourishing? Would we be on the verge of war?   Would we be trying to survive a viral outbreak that has turned half the world into the walking dead?   Or would we be trying to do whatever was need to survive a post apocalyptic world?  More importantly what would be your path in that world?  

The Book of Eli is the story of one man's path as seen through the minds eye of directors the Hughes Brothers.  In what is said to be a post war world, after an apocalyptic event, we follow a "walker" as he stays on his path.  Eli takes a path less traveled that takes us on one insane journey.   I remember hearing that it only takes the decision of one man to change the world, well if that man if Eli watch out. Denzel Washington brings a whole new level to the term "badass" in his role as a walker on a mission. 

I was a little surprised with the casting choices of Mila Kunis as Solara, Jennifer Beal as Solara's blind mother Claudia, and even a surprise cameo appearance of another well known actor towards the end of the film.  Casting Gary Oldman as the evil Carnegie was fantastic, however I was not used to seeing his without his beard.  It did add to the overall roughness of his character, but I kept wanting to see the friendly Commissioner James Gordon to appear on screen.  The contrast between Oldman and Washington added to the contract between the characters.

It may take a little to get into the film, especially since it takes almost 10 minutes before the first line of the film, but once the film gets rolling you will be "oooo"ing and "aahhhhh"ing straight to the end.  With the fight sequences choreographed by Dan Inosanto and Jeff Imada its no wonder Eli has become such a badass.  The cinematic choices to use "long takes" during the fights made for an original and unusual twist of things.  It made it hard for me to take my eyes off the screen because I wanted to see what bandit would dare challenge this stranger.  The only problem I found with the film was that it felt like a cross between a post-apocalyptic film meets the wild west.  Shooting the film primarily in New Mexico is probably the cause for why it reminded me of some western film, and more specifically the set used during the scene shot in Carrizozo, NM looked as though they took the old Deadwood set and redressed it to fit this film's time period.  I half expected the old sherrif to come running out of the jail to greet the new comer, pistol in hand, just to make sure that he was passing through town and not looking to cause any trouble.  In a way that is almost exactly what happened, however I would rather leave any spoilers out and let you judge the film for yourself.

The cinematic choices made for this film will leave you with your mouth hanging open, and you will want to talk over the details with whomever you happened to go see the film with.  It is definitely one of those type of films.  It is almost an unbelievable tale of one man's strangth, will power, beliefs and faith that will push you to the edge of your seat.  The skills and talents of this mysterious man will make you fear coming face to face with him, and if you ever catch a glimpse of his modified machete you will want to turn and run in the opposite direction as quickly as your feet will carry you.  The violence in the film is shot with an eligance and smoothness that heightens the appearance of just how deadly Denzel's character truly is.

If you are a fan of Denzel Washington, or just a fan of action films, than I would say this would be a film for you.  The subtext of the story and the depth in which it goes rides a fine line between believable and good, and a little on the boring side just because of the style of story.  The full cast may surprise you, but in the end I bet you will walk out with a conversation starter.  I give The Book of Eli a 3.5 out of 5 for story, but if you are a looking for a beautifully shot film, than this almost makes it a 5.  At least in my books.  The Hughes Brothers have once again impressed me with their directing skills and given yet another amazing picture to look at.  I only wish they would be involved with a few more projects, however having From Hell being their most recent project prior to The Book of Eli, I say it is all about quality and not quantity, so two great films in the past decade is not bad for the two young directors in what could very well be a highly successful career.

Trailer


SPOILER -- The Book of Eli Featurette