The Book of Eli
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Directed by the Hughes Brothers (From Hell) and produced by the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix), this post-apocalyptic actioner stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Mila Kunis and Tom Waits.
Washington stars as a lone warrior named Eli, who fights his way across the desolate wasteland of near-future America to protect a sacred book that can bring civilization back from the brink of destruction.
Starring
Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Michael Gambon, Jennifer Beals, Tom Waits, Ray Stevenson, Frances de la Tour
Directed by
Albert Hughes ('From Hell'), Allen Hughes ('From Hell')
Written by
Gary Whitta
(R16) contains volence & offensive language | Action, Adventure | USA | Official Website
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PRESS REVIEWS
Average rating 
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The film looks and feels good, and Washington's performance is the more uncanny the more we think back over it. The ending is "flawed," as we critics like to say, but it's so magnificently, shamelessly, implausibly flawed that (a) it breaks apart from the movie and has a life of its own, or (b) at least it avoids being predictable.
Click to read full review.Empire (UK)
Mad Max 2 with Thought for the Day thrown in. There’s some ace post-holocaust action, but you can’t help feel you were invited to a party with fizzy pop and cream cake and got suckered into a sermon instead.
Click to read full review.Hollywood Reporter
The Hughes Brothers' measured, well-paced direction complements the comic-book simplicity of this narrative.
Click to read full review.Total Film (UK)
For all its knife scraps, shoot-outs, big bangs and fisticuffs, Denzel’s latest is a sluggish affair weighed down by its lofty themes. It also comes with a preposterous twist and a paying-the-rent performance from Oldman that’s pure cured ham.
Click to read full review.Variety (USA)
Some mordant comic touches would have been welcome throughout the picture, which has a somber tone that suffers a bit from lack of modulation and nuance.
Click to read full review.ViewAuckland.co.nz (Matt Turner)
Impressively directed post-apocalyptic thriller with superb fight sequences and a strong cast, though it's also slightly too long and never quite connects on an emotional level.
Click to read full review.Flicks.co.nz "The Book of Eli" Movie Review
Flicks.co.nz rating
James Croot, Flicks.co.nz
Coming hot on the heels of The Road, Eli is a far more conventional and formulaic vision of future hell. Yes folks we're in Mad Max, Terminator Salvation and even The Postman country as a grizzled, bible toting and quoting Denzel goes on his ‘lone wolf’ (or Littlest Hobo) mission to save humanity, one town at a time.
Gary Whitta's story follows a traditional western template with Washington standing in for Clint Eastwood as the man with virtually no name, although the late, sneaky twist is very welcome. And for a tale with distinctly religious overtones there is an awful lot of un-Christian behaviour from all parties.
Using bleached visuals, a dissonant atonal electronic score and the occasional slo-mo, the Hughes brothers try to pep up proceedings but they have to resort to shadows for a lot of the fight scenes, perhaps because Washington is feeling his age. Oldman never really gets out of second gear as a bad guy, while cameos from Gambon, de La Tour and Malcolm McDowell seem odd rather than essential. But it is good to know that even in a desolate future MP3 players still work and KFC towelettes can perform a vital task.
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