Friday, January 15, 2010
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Friday, January 15, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
The Book Of Eli
A Steady Hand To Guide Through Faith And Fate
Denzel Washington as Eli in "The
Book Of Eli" directed by Allen and Albert Hughes. The post-apocalyptic
drama opened in theaters across the U.S. and Canada today.
Warner Brothers
By Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
Friday, January 15, 2010
On page nine of Denzel Washington's 2006 book A Hand To
Guide Me is the author's observation via the biblical verse Proverbs:
"Train up a child in the way he should go,
and he might get to where he's meant to be headed all along." That
modified verse somewhat parallels aspects in the actor's new film "The Book Of
Eli", a surprisingly good one directed by The Hughes Brothers, their first
feature since "From Hell" almost a decade ago.
In the film which opened today, Mr. Washington stars as Eli, virtually alone in
a barren America in 2043 after cataclysmic events turn the human populace into
two groups: cannibals and survivors. Eli has a coveted book he reads each
day, he declares to one character; a book he lives by. Everyone wants to
get their ruddy hands on it, including Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a Robert
Evans/Keith Richards-look-alike New Mexico mayor drunk with power and corrupt in
morals. Solara (Mila Kunis) is intrigued by the book, while her mother
(Jennifer Beals) would no doubt yearn to see it. Protecting the coveted
book will not be easy, by any stretch.
"Walk the path," utters Eli as he crosses the wasteland as lone-warrior, but
this path is anything but straight and narrow.
Twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes borrow from Sergio Leone, Akira Kurosawa,
John Woo, Sam Peckinpah among others to create a landscape bathed in a
monochromatic shading (by cinematographer Don Burgess), one lending a timeless
yet finite manner to its surroundings. The post-apocalyptic spaghetti
western The Hughes Brothers craft has restrained direction and effective, not
excessive stylizing. The music by Atticus Ross creates a mood heightening
the film's atmosphere, with a deliberation that absorbs the viewer.
The Hughes Brothers achieve their goal and hold our interest with confident
staging and production design, as does Mr. Washington with his subtle
performance and some timely and funny one-liners. The two-time Oscar
winner has arguably his most personal role as Eli. In real life Mr.
Washington is known for his powers of inspiration (his uplifting messages to NFL
player Chad Ochocinco), and his onscreen characters have taken a spiritual path
("Malcolm X", "The Bone Collector", "The Hurricane").
Gary Whitta scripts the Hughes Brothers' action parable, which takes a couple of
tricky turns. Even so, where "The Book Of Eli" should derail it avoids
doing so, sustaining itself within reason, becoming a profound biblical
adventure, one with a message digestible to those spiritually inclined and
otherwise. Its strong and occasionally startling violence seems
incongruous with its meaning but in context is necessary to understand just how
treacherous the road less travelled has been. Audiences may be divided and
incredulous about the film's conclusion but this film's road is well worth
taking.
With: Ray Stevenson, Tom Waits, Evan Jones, Joe Pingue, Frances de la Tour and
Michael Gambon.
"The Book Of Eli"
is rated R by the Motion Picture
Association Of America for some brutal violence and language. The film's
running time is one hour and 58 minutes.
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