Rating of
2.5/4
Eli Giveth and Eli Taketh Away
Chris Kavan - wrote on 01/16/10
I ask do you believe in a vengeful God or a peaceful God? Because Eli seems to subscribe to the latter, but isn't afraid to pull out a lot of wrath along the way. This post-apocalyptic mash-up mixes us some old-fashioned Mad Max, a bit of Sergio Leone and some righteous fury and you have the book of Eli.
The greatest strength of Eli is not the washed-out wasteland - if you've seen on post-apocalyptic America, you've seen them all, but rather in the characters. Denzel Washington plays Eli with a stoic graces. A loner who just wants to complete his task at hand, it's not his fault he keeps getting waylaid and caught up in power struggles. Good thing he's hands with a gun and a really sharp, large knife.
Then you have the always fun Gary Oldman. In full villain mode, he has a right good time playing the power-mad Carnegie. He thinks he's a civilized man in an uncivilized time, but the truth is he's just another scavenger, though one with plenty of ambition. Some might call his performance over-the-top, but Oldman has never been one to play down villains (see also The Professional and Fifth Element).
Mila Kunis is adequate as the tough chick / eye candy. Better is Jennifer Beals as a blind woman churning under the thumb of Carnegie. Out of all the characters, she should have had more screen time. Also, keep an eye out for the scene-stealing cameo performances from Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour. Never have a polite English couple been more effective in a film.
Characters aside, the story, based off a graphic novel, has Eli traveling west with what he says is the last copy of the Bible. Apparently, like the Blues Brothers, he's on a mission from God. Apparently God is also good at weapons training. Only vague references are made to why the world is now a slag heap. Something about a flash and lots of death, requiring everyone to wear fashionable shades or not-so-fashionable goggles. Was it nuclear, biological, astrological? I never could tell, but a little back story would have been nice. For some reason people got worked up over this and started burning bibles, hence Eli's quest.
The biggest fault of Eli to me is the ending. There's a pretty good reveal that I won't spoil here, but it can't make up for an otherwise lackluster finish. I did get a kick out of seeing a main location turn out to be a place I've actually visited. Eli ends up being a pretty good ride, but too uneven to make it great.
