MOVIE REVIEW: The Book of Eli

By Lawrence Griffin | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The world is in ruins. Nothing is safe. Gary Oldman runs a city and limps around like he has a wooden leg, and who will save us now?

Denzel Washington, in the Hughes Brothers’ new post-apocalyptic thriller “The Book of Eli,” just might be the man for the job in his trek across the world to the mysterious West. Washington is in possession of the last Bible on Earth after nuclear disaster ruined the planet.

I had no idea what to expect from “The Book of Eli,” it resulted in a somber gem of a movie. The concept of the last Bible on Earth puts a new spin on the “post apocalyptic” genre that ham-fisted hollywood stock films like “I Am Legend” and “Terminator: Salvation” missed out on completely.

I do have to dock the film some points for falling back on a few Hollywood cliches, like the “music being heard in a post-apocalyptic world where there is none.”

The entire concept of this film is simple: it is about a man persevering on a Biblical-scale mission in a world that has all but forgotten its religious past. It really is fascinating. Everything is so hopeless, the atmosphere dense, and the way the characters interact is desperate and even scary at times in its depravity. But it comes out to an uplifting climax.

The religious bent is not for everyone, but I feel it can be excused wholeheartedly for the excellent writing and atmosphere. The action is also full of fist-pumping glory, and the acting is excellent on all counts. You will believe that these people are in the middle of the desert killing each other for the holy book.