"The Book of Eli" is heavy on ideas, but poorly bound and edited

Denzel Washington is the well-equipped hero

by Ken San Nicolas

Director: Albert and Allen Hughes

Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Genre: Action

Starring: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis

"The Book of Eli" is a post-apocalyptic action flick about a wanderer (Denzel Washington) who travels across the U.S. in hopes to deliver a book in his possession to an unknown entity somewhere in the western United States. While the explanation seems a little messy, that is because the movie itself is poorly organized and lacks a strong premise to bring all of its details together.

Washington plays Eli, the mysterious wanderer who's goal in life is to reach the west coast and deliver a book - one so powerful that it will revamp the post-apocalyptic world they currently live in. The story takes place in the U.S. 31 years after a great nuclear disaster or war (we never really know because it's never clearly explained in the film.) On his journey, Eli encounters various delinquents and hoodlums, including the smarter-than-average Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man who has his mind set on relinquishing the book from Eli's possession.

Luckily for Eli, he is no ordinary traveler. Armed with a bow and arrow, a pistol, a shotgun and a machete, Eli mows down all enemies in his path with a striking diversity. Whether it be beheading a henchmen, shooting a cat with arrow, or chopping a bandit's hand off, Eli gets it done with youthful agility.Throw in the talk about this book, and we've basically summed up the entire 118 minutes of this film.

The cinematography is the one shining point in the entire movie. The Hughes brothers incorporate a color filter (similar to the one in 300) to give a sort of colorless feel towards the barren environment. The setting is devoid of most color and just seems barren and deserted. This imagery is quite powerful. Later in the film, the filter is done away with and the added color help symbolize the transition to a land where ideas and ideals have a chance to grow and prosper. Aside from this clever cinematography, there is literally no saving grace for this film.

Early in the film, we realize that the book Eli is protecting is the Bible. Somewhere in the post-apocalyptic 31 year timeline, all the Bibles were burned with the exception of Eli's copy. While I applaud the use of the Bible as a focal point of a film, the holy book has no bearing on anything that happens in "The Book of Eli". The premise just doesn't make sense. Here we have a guy who is a capable killer, who recites verses from the Bible every chance he gets - regardless of its relationship to the content. "Cursed be the ground for our sake.. for out of the ground we were taken... and to the dust we shall return."

Really, Eli? Well how about "Thou shall not kill?"

"The Book of Eli" is swamped with this conservative propaganda alluding that the Bible is the source of salvation for humanity when society is all but lost. I'm not here to argue for or against this belief, I'm just here to say that it doesn't belong in a movie that justifies vengeance and cruel killing the way the Hughes brothers depict it. There could have been a special treasure here and if the message was something about faith or Christianity it could've worked - just not with 10 scenes that clearly contradict that very message.

The sad part about this movie is that the Hughes brothers clearly know better. There are constant allusions to biblical events as well as undertones of the importance of faith, but nowhere in the film are these beliefs given substance. The meat of this film is the gratuitous violence, and the righteous undertone trying to be portrayed unfortunately has no place in this film.

The acting is decent. Denzel Washington is flowing with charisma and Gary Oldman plays a decent villain. It would have been nice if they developed the characters better. Oldman's Carnegie is a very smart and capable man early in the film, and to have him resort to his actions in the latter part of the movie was a pretty big let down. Similarly, Denzel's character is so mysterious and capable of doing so many things. However, we never learn why he is able to do these things or anything about his origin. This is disappointing because its such a cop-out from what is logic. There was no logical way to explain his skills or anything of that nature - the audience just has to accept the fact that Eli is capable of them. The latter does not seem that important if "The Book of Eli" were just an action flick but the film is trying to be more than that. It is trying to get across a message deeper than that and ultimately it fails.

If you like Denzel Washington and you like violence, then perhaps you will enjoy "The Book of Eli". The movie has 2 hours worth of great Denzel acting and senseless violence. However, if you are looking for a cohesive story and perhaps some meaning, try "The Lovely Bones" this weekend. Like its cinematography, "The Book of Eli" is devoid of all color.