The Book of Eli

 

Starring- Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman.

Directed by- the Hughes brothers.

Sony Pictures

Launching Nationally- April 15

The World as we know it has been annihilated, leaving a lawless, barren wasteland. Think Mad Max minus the V8’s and the dog with the bad attitude. Eli (Denzel Washington) is a reluctant one man army who has wandered the desolation alone for years on a personal mission, set on restoring some semblance of peace and meaning to the desecrated planet, where consumerism and greed has given way to rape and pillage. He holds the future of the World in his backpack, and just about everyone out there is prepared to kill him for it, which of course makes for some interesting fight scenes.

This is not a one dimensional action flick riding on cheap, clichéd one liners and special effects. The Book of Eli touches on some deeper issues of commitment and the sacrifices that sometimes must be made to reach a goal, whilst still managing to showcase some epic fight scenes. This is a futuristic tale of human nature and the triumph of good over evil – with Carnegy (Gary Oldman) doing anything he can to destroy Eli and get his hands on his precious cargo – the last of its kind on Earth.

If you're a fan of Mad Max, I Am Legend, or the post-apocalyptic genre in general, you'll sink your teeth into this dark piece of work from directors the Hughes brothers (From Hell). If you’re just after some escapist action with a slightly different take, go see it anyway. Denzel is a legend, Gary Oldman is engrossingly twisted as always, and Mila Kunis is the diamond in the rough in this post-apocalyptic wasteland, and what a diamond at that. 

Harvey Danger.

 

 
Images Courtesy Sony Pictures.