The Book of Eli: Review By the_tall_guy

(MAJOR SPOILERS! Do not read until after you have watched the movie)

I really wanted to see this movie when it came out in theaters, but I wasn't able to at the time. So I waited for a few months until it came out on DVD. Let me tell you; I should have seen it in theaters.

I didn't know what to expect, because I haven't seen any of the trailers. Only the TV-Spots. All I knew was that Denzel Washington was trying to keep a book away from Gary Oldman. That's all I knew. And what the movie turned out to be was really great.

So Denzel Washington plays a guy who, throughout most of the movie, has no name. He runs into a few hijackers (that's what I'll call them) and rips them apart with this giant knife or machete thing.

Then he heads into this small town where he causes more trouble with a local gang that is out searching for books. The gang's leader is Carnegie, played by Gary Oldman, who sends out men to find a specific kind of book that will control every town he starts. Carnegie grows interested in this nameless man, and offers him a place to stay, some food, and sexual services from his stepdaughter (?) Solara, who is played by Mila Kunis (who I didn't know was in this movie). He turns down the sexual service, and instead offers food to Solara, and teaches her how to prayer. Carnegie learns this, and realizes that Denzel has the book that he's looking for, which is the last copy of the Bible on earth. Denzel refuses to hand over the Bible to Carnegie, and leaves town, and Solara follows him.

Denzel refuses to travel with Solara, and traps her in a cave where he gets some water. Solara gets out of the cave (somehow) and comes across some hijackers, who try to rape her, until Denzel comes back and kills the two hijackers. Meanwhile, Carnegie gathers men together to go out and find Denzel and the book. I forgot to mention that before Denzel leaves town, he's involved in a shootout, and shoots Carnegie in the leg, which progressively gets worse throughout the movie. They track Denzel's footsteps (that's what I'll call it).

Denzel and Solara camp out in what looks like a former nuclear power plant, and it is here that we learn that a war was fought between the people of earth because of religious views (I think) and all the copies of the Bible have been destroyed, except the one that Denzel carries with him. It is also told that Denzel found the book with the help of a voice he heard inside himself, and that voice told him to bring the book west where it will be safe. He's been traveling ever since, reading this copy of the Bible every single day.

Denzel and Solara end up at a house occupied by two crazy old people who kill drifters and use their flesh for food. As they leave, they learn that Carnegie has been following the two and they have caught up with them. A big shootout occurs, which results with the two old people dying and the house being destroyed. Carnegie holds Solara hostage and forces Denzel to hand over the Bible, which Denzel does. Once the book is in Carnegie's possession, Carnegie shoots Denzel in the stomach and leaves him for dead.

Carnegie heads back to town with Solara and the Bible. Carnegie learns that the Bible has a lock on it, and can't get it open. Solara then proceeds to kill most of Carnegie's gang, and commandeer one of the cars. Carnegie decides to let her go, and heads back to town.

Solara finds Denzel still walking west. She brings him into the car and they drive to San Francisco and paddle out to Alcatraz prison. Here we learn that Denzel's name is Eli, and that he would like to preserve a copy of the Bible in the prison, which has been converted into a museum.

Carnegie gets a person to pick the lock of the Bible, and he is able to open the bible.

Eli proceeds to tell the curator named Lombardi, played by Malcolm McDowell (which was cool), every single word in the Bible, because Eli has memorized it all.

Carnegie opens the Bible, and we learn that this copy of the Bible is in braille, which means that Eli is blind and can't really read (which blew my mind). Carnegie tries to get his wife (?) Claudia, played by Jennifer Beals, to read the Bible, because she's also blind, but she refuses, because she's tired of him abusing her. Carnegie learns that the town is being overrun, and Carnegie is left to die from his leg wound.

Eli and the curator finish the Bible, and they have it published and made into a new copy of the Bible, which is stored in the museum. Eli dies of his wound, and Solara, now dressed like Eli, proceeds to head back to her home.

Let me tell you, this movie is really good. I would recommend it for anyone interested in the Post-Apocalyptic genre of movies. See it, enjoy it.