Re: The Book of Eli (Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman) Grading & Discuss
The Book of Eli
Rated: R
My grade: B+
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The Book of Eli is a very interesting movie, a movie that is interestingly directed, shot, scored, produced, acted, and the story itself is very interesting.
Eli is a man walking across the scorched, tortured, and washed-out post-apocalyptic landscape of America. It seems that at some point there was a massive war that resulted in damage to the ozone layer destroying most of the life on the surface, only a few survivors remain. Eli is heading West, carrying with him a recovered leather-bound and clasped copy of the King James Bible to a place where he believes it can be used to build a new humanity. Along the way he runs into Carneige who is starting up his own version of society in a crumbling town and he is searching for a Bible as a foundation for society in his own eyes.
Eli is a typical road warrior-esque man with remarkable skills with weapons and fighting, something that helps him along the torched landscape as he runs into the scraps of humanity.
The movie has an interesting look for the post-apocalypse Earth and Denzel Washington turns in a great performance as the Eli road-warrior badass. The only performance that I didn't much care for was Gary Oldman who plays the usual over-the-top hammy bad guy. He's only a degree or two below his "Zorg" character from the Fifth Element.
But the movie is real good, has a poweful message to it and a shocking ending that was twist on what I was expecting.
I think the fight/action scenes in the movie are a little over-the-top and over-shot and produced a bit, but overall this is a powerfully good movie that is well-worth seeing.
