Book Of Eli, The (2010) [Blu-ray]
Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller | Western

Eli walks alone in post-apocalyptic America. He heads west along the Highway of Death on a mission he doesn't fully understand but knows he must complete. In his backpack is the last copy of a book that could become the wellspring of a revived society. Or in the wrong hands, the hammer of a despot. Denzel Washington is Eli, who keeps his blade sharp and his survival instincts sharper as his quest thrusts him into a savage wasteland...and into explosive conflict with a resourceful warlord (Gary Oldman) set on possessing the book. "We walk by faith, not by sight," quotes Eli. Under the taut direction of the Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society), those words hit home with unexpected meaning and power.

User Comment: aurashafa from London, England, 24 January 2010 • *** This review may contain spoilers *** The story is about a post-apocalyptic world without any religions. Hah! Imagine that! What a paradise.

Anyway, there is this man named Eli (Denzel Washington) who is kind of a loner and wondering through deserts, killing sick hairless cats and eats them with his mouse companion and listens to music. Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds.

You don't have to be there to guess it right, in that kind of world people would kill each other just for a glass of water. Everything's gone and our reptilian brain is fully operational. He's killing anyone who meddles with him in his path of course, much more ninja like (and less Christian) combat skills. And he is carrying a book, which later turned out to be a Bible. Yes, after the flash, nuclear blast or whatever it was, people realized that many men and women are killed in the name of God than to have been saved by his mercy. So they made the right choice finally, and burned all of the bibles on the planet. But of course by earth and planet I mean America, no clue about the rest of the world.

But our champ has one in his pack. Where did he get it in the first place? Right after he came back to the surface after the blast he heard a voice from within, well pretty much like our other sane prophets can't really blame him. Don't hate the player, hate the game. Voice told him the whereabouts of the book, so he dug it out and now he's been on a quest to the west to find the book's rightful place for 30 years!

He's crossing a small town where he meets a guy named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) who is running the town and of course is a ruthless ruler, our bad guy; I'm going to get to that later again. Carnegie is desperately looking for the bible because he thinks it is really powerful. So after a lot of violence and fireworks he finally gets it, shots Eli (but he survives – hallelujah!). But when he unlocks the book (yes it is locked) he finds out the book is in Braille.

Mean while our blind sharpshooter/ninja reaches San Francisco, and then Alcatraz. Where a community of people are living in peace and collecting books. So of course Eli has memorized the whole bible in the past 30 years and starts dictating it (But not before shaving his head and wearing a pretty white dress) and the other guy writes it off and publishes it. Eli dies right after, because his mission is now complete and he can finally rest. But his other companion Solara (Mila Kunis) turns into Tomb Raider and returns to desert.

First, I am an open minded person. Even to all kinds of religions and beliefs. But there's a line that I, and I'm sure many other people can really tolerate. This movie has crossed it by far! The movie tried really hard to make a point about religion is a good thing, because otherwise we don't know it's bad to kill, cook and eat other humans. I'm sure the movie had really good intentions about Christianity, but when something is faulty you can never cover all the leaks. I need to know, I need to ask, what was God really thinking? "Ah well that went to hell, but let's give it another try." Finally the people of earth are free from Christianity but no he is the jealous type. What if they started worshiping sun again? Got to do something about it, OK blind Eli you're now Clint Eastwood, Jet Li and Chuck Norris altogether. Go save my book! Is this his master plan?

Or maybe his long term master plan was to come into our world as Jesus, bringing Christianity which led to many wars and deaths and miseries up to the point that most of the planet is gone and human race is near extinction then those who survived would understand his true word? What kind of a plan that is? I'm telling you, in business terms, God should file for bankruptcy.

I have to say, Carnegie knows the lord's true word. He knew religion is a weapon better than his macho men and their guns. He knew that he could expand his town and enslave more people. He knew that there was a mistype in the first place, this book is not about how to reach salvation, but to how to enslave human race. Was designed to give people false promise and force them to do whatever you want them to do.

And there was this disturbing scene. Which Eli was watching thugs killing and raping a couple. And he's just telling to himself that it's not his business. They were no danger to him. Later, we watched him killing all of them in just a couple of seconds just because he was grumpy. So basically, he just didn't care. Or maybe he did but he had a different mission? OK, let's try that. He saw a town in despair and misery. But decided to move on. Why not staying there and helping them? Preaching the good teachings of bible. Anyone can be saved. But instead, he moved on and gave the bible to the people who were having quite a ball. They had no problems. They didn't need to be saved. And his miracles were dodging bullets and aiming perfectly while being blind. But why not doing anything good? So, lord didn't care for that couple being killed raped, he didn't care for miserable townsfolk.

All he cared was his book. To be delivered to the people who had no problems in the first place. What does that tell ya? I think, in my humble opinion, lord was looking to cause trouble.

Yes, Lord works in mysterious ways.

Summary: I am offended.

CSW] -3- As implausible and unlikely as the story line was the post-apocalyptic scenery and too quick to see clearly action scenes were just enough to kept me from actually disliking the movie. Rent this one-timer.

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