Once again, we travel to the land of post-apocalyptic hell in movies, a desolate existence of scavenging for water, food, iPod batteries, and books. The title character Eli (Denzel Washington) is doing what Samuel L. Jackson was destined to do in Pulp Fiction and walk the earth, carrying with him a leather bound book that he protects with his life. His is an existence of living off the dead carcass of humanity and being cautious of the remaining humanity that has fallen into decay. Eli stumbles into a town looking to recharge his MP3 player that happens to be controlled by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), an overlord that is obsessed with books, any books he can get. But there's one book in particular that he's looking for and guess who happens to have a leather bound copy in his grasp? Eventually the solo Eli befriends Solara (Mila Kunis) who helps and is helped by Eli.
Directed by The Hughes Brothers, the film represents a world that is as gray as it appears during the film. It's a bleakly shot film that represents the world Eli walks through. The apocalypse has done little for UV Rays as everyone is forced to wearing sunglasses outside or be rendered blind as a bat. The film feels like an overcast day where the sun isn't shining, yet it still hurts the eyes. A depressing looking film for a depressing looking world.
Obviously, a film with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman is going to be at the high end of the acting scale. Denzel is always good at playing the character he's created over the years, molding it to the situation and psychology of his role. He again achieves this in Book of Eli. Of course Gary Oldman could play Michael Jackson if he wanted to, a consummate actor who becomes the role that he plays.
Book of Eli is a fine example of an action film that is smarter than your average action film, a movie with a story that can be almost inspirational at times. It does throw some curve balls at the audience, but unlike some of the other plot twist films it doesn't hinge on the plot twist. It's a film you won't be disappointed in.
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