THE BOOK OF ELI
Why is there such rabid audience interest in post-apocalyptic films? While people have always been interested in end-of-the-world scenarios, it seems that this particular genre has had quite a workout lately. It’s just too bad that they never work out their imaginations; every single one of these films features washed-out cinematography, a nomadic hero, a trumped-up journey, and, invariably, cans of food. It almost becomes as much of a joke as zombie films.
Unfortunately, The Book Of Eli follows this genre template to the letter.
Denzel Washington stars as Eli, a drifter wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of desolate, dusty landscapes and desperate bands of thieves. Eli possesses the last Bible in existence, a consequence of humans destroying the other copies in order to prevent people from being inspired to kill because of it. Before long, though, Eli’s secret possession is discovered by a desperate criminal leader named Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who wants that Bible to secure his leadership. A series of battles and double-crosses threathen to separate Eli from both his book and his faith.
Unlike most films of this ilk, The Book Of Eliis quite slow and boring. There are long stretches of conversation, only occasionally punctuated by some nicely-choreographed fighting. The cinematography by Don Burgess imitates most films in this genre with its washed-out, filthy-looking palette, but that also has the effect of creating a “sameness” that lacks immediacy.
As Eli, Washington shows a lot of his typical charisma, but he also underplays the character to the point of disappearing. He whispers his lines a lot. Oldman is generally a mess as Carnegie, but he had an uphill battle with the character considering how he was written; this villain has even less motivation than Dennis Hopper’s similar character in Waterworld, for God’s sake. It doesn’t help that Carnegie is written as a one-note villain who simply cannot ever be good; it’s very flat and unbelievable.
Directors Albert and Allen Hughes, returning after a long layoff, frame some nice shots throughout; I particularly loved the shot, shown in some trailers, that had Washington backing menacingly into the shadows. But the film is murkily written, and no amount of technical wizardry can disguise the limp script and flat characters. Even worse is the Twilight Zone-ish ending, which attempts to upend our expectations with an unnecessary twist. I understand the Biblical metaphors, but it doesn’t really add much to a movie in which our hero kills everything in his path. The twist might have been more compelling had it involved Eli being the Angel Of Death, considering his proficiency. As it is, the ending feels like a “ooh gotcha … wow” moment that has plagued the later part of Shyamalan’s career.
The films offers just enough fighting and killing to keep the video game fans interested, and just enough thoughtful meditation to intrigue intellectual audiences, but, in the end, the film doesn’t deliver enough of anything to recommend it to anyone.
