The Book of Eli
“The Book of Eli” is like a lot of films I’ve seen so far this year. The story is compelling, the performances spot-on, the execution…eh, could’ve been better. For their first film in almost ten years (since 2001’s moody masterpiece “From Hell”), however, you can’t help but love how ambitious the Hughes Brothers (Allen and Albert) were in their subject.
Denzel Washington plays a drifter in a post-apocalyptic world. Thirty years ago, war was raging, and nuclear holocaust engulfed the land. Gradually, people began to resurface, but it’s a very different world now. Scavengers are a common nuisance, and people use items found to barter for the necessities.
Denzel’s drifter, whose name we learn is Eli, comes to a town run by a criminal (the juicy Gary Oldman, always a great villain) who’s also an avid reader (not many are nowadays). He’s been sending out thugs to track down a particular book he’s looking for. A very rare one in these times. Does it go without saying that he and Eli’s paths cross?
Gary Whitta’s screenplay hits all the “Road Warrior”-“The Road”
post-apoc notes with ease, and dolls out information sparsely, not until we need it. That’s where it succeeds. That said, it also feels false in a couple of moments that seem calculated just to avoid too many plot complications (though thankfully, the performances- including Mila Kunis as Eli’s eventual companion on the road and Malcolm McDowell as a man preserving man’s history in the unlikeliest place- sell these moments better than you’d expect), and the mood feels more than a little pretentious. This isn’t helped by Don Burgess’ bleached-out cinematography and the constantly dark electro-ambient score (though the latter is still one of my faves of this year so far). Still, watching Washington and the Hughes’ fall short of a deeper story is still more entertaining than watching some people not even try.
