The Book of Eli

http://thebookofeli.warnerbros.com/dvd/index.html



A great movie. Perhaps my favorite, #1.

A full Review coming, when time permits!

Hey -- I was watching some video clips of the real Malcolm X and I was simply amazed at how Denzel nailed him. Looks. Gestures. Voice. Vocal inflections. I'm not one to agree with Spike Lee but Denzel was robbed at the Academy Awards that year.

anthony wrote:

Hey -- I was watching some video clips of the real Malcolm X and I was simply amazed at how Denzel nailed him. Looks. Gestures. Voice. Vocal inflections. I'm not one to agree with Spike Lee but Denzel was robbed at the Academy Awards that year.

Yeah, too bad "they" robbed Jaquin Phoenix to make up for it in 2006.

I'll have to check that out----you bought and sent me Malcom X and I havnt watched it for awhile, but I remember it was a powerful performance. Denzel is simply the best actor alive. I have to go with Charley 'moses' Hesston as my all time favorite, but Denzel is #2 for sure.

I recently saw another Denzel film "Fallen" that was pretty creepy; he seems to play certain roles that have this metaphysical aspect to them.

For those who have not seen it, the Book of Eli is set in a post WW3, post-Apocolyptic setting in which there is no govt or "law", and roving gangs and 'communities' of the "barely existing" is the way things are. Eli is a guy that owns a Bible, the last one (as the movie strongly suggests), and is on a mission from God to deliver it safely, somewhere out "west". 'Carnagie' (interesting name, truly a "benefactor" class designation...), is a war-lord type that sends out his goons on a daily basis to find a Bible, for the purpose of using it as a basis to start his own quasi-government in order to control the masses for his own purposes.

In short:

Eli=good
Carnegie=bad

There are many very good and well played Biblical allusions in this one, but I wont spoil it for anyone by elaborating.

Some violence. Turns out, the post apocolyptic "mad-max" world isnt very interested in day to day 'nice-e-ties'. However, the fight scenes are short, and the violence is contextual and not fortuitous. Incidentally, Denzel Washington trained for several months with Dan Inosanto, the worlds formost authority on the Kali-Eskrima Martial Arts, which is basically a highly trained methodology, and fancy wording, for "stick fighting". Its quite impressive, and quite real.

Yes, 'Believe'. And if I remember right, the belief was that there was power in that there Bible. I don't think they elaborated on it one bit.

I like Gary Oldman too. I think he and Brad Dourif have it in common that they always get wacky roles to play.

What did you make of the hospitable pair out in the middle of nowhere who loved visitors?

brendan wrote:

What did you make of the hospitable pair out in the middle of nowhere who loved visitors?

They were cannibals. That is why they had the "shakes". Mad-cow disease.