Apocalypse of faith. Review on The Book of Eli Movie

Hollywood loves Armageddon. There have been several movies (most recently the pedestrian 2012) which have explored the possibilities of a life post Judgment Day as it were. The following are a common thread of plot devices in every such cinematic outing:

o Overly noble hero who is also Sunny Deol incarnate.

o Awesome action pieces.

o Forced emotional/moral investment in characters.

o Hopeful endings with lessons broadly spelt out for the audiences (us being brain dead, we have to be told "Global warming is baaad". Subtlety doesn’t work with us, no Sir.)

Don’t get me wrong. I have watched (and enjoyed) several post-apocalyptic movies, however factors such as the above can prove to be an annoyance from time to time.

Keeping the above in mind, I went to check out "The Book of Eli." Promised a different story & being a Washington & Oldman fan, I was hopeful that the strong cast would distract from any stereotypical fare.

Plot:

In an unnamed future, the world is a wasteland. Gangs rule the streets, which work without any semblance of law. Apocalypse occurred some years back, leaving the affected blind & the emerging generation lawless, illiterate & corrupt.

In the midst of all this, a loner, Eli (Washington) walks towards the West Coast. His mission? To transport the last remaining Bible to an unknown spot there, led on by a voice in his head which he believes is from above. His journey and the role Carnegie (Oldman) and Solara (Mila Kunis) play in it form the remainder of the plot.

Cons:

More of the above, however a lot more tolerable and subtle this time around. Very gory. This movie is rated R and for a reason. The violence is graphic and there is a lot of blood to go around. I don’t mind this, however a lot of audience might find this a turn off. Slightly overlong, repetitive scenes (Denzel walking, and walking, and then walking some more…we get it, the world is deserted)

Pros:

Different story, with a very relevant take on how religion is being used today. Excellent performances all around. Very well shot (Don Burgess shoots a mean world, and does amazingly in creating an ambience) and directed.

Direction:

The Hughes brothers ensure that audiences are pulled into this bleak world. While not for everyone, their direction is quick, action scenes crisp and they ensure that the verbal portions don’t get too heavy handed. It helps that they get good performances and lift the movie above the mundane.

Cast:

Mila Kunis does really well in her role. She portrays innocence and toughness in equal measures and does well enough for the audience to sympathize and relate to her. Its no surprise then when Eli does stop to protect her.

Gary Oldman is one of the most diverse actors around and here he proves it again. Slimy, stylish and very ruthless is probably a character requirement in such movies. Carnegie is all of these, but Old man makes him even more spiteful (yet powerful) intelligent, respectful & handles his subtleties really well. In fact, one gets the impression that he's more eager to get Eli than the book itself, just because he knows that they are probably the only two educated souls left. It is to his credit that the audience gives a stronger reaction to him than most other villains would hope in this setting.

Denzel Washington is legend, no two opinions on that. Fact is though, that he has been phoning it in recently (Déjà vu, etc etc). While he seems slightly dull at the start, he gets into his stride and does a more than adequate job of things. He plays things somewhere between Malcolm X & Training Day, which makes the character much deeper than it probably is. His final understanding of what faith is probably the fulcrum of the movie and gives out the intended message subtly and well. Not his best, but better than what I expected.