The Book Of Eli (15.)
Directed by The Hughes Brothers.
Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beal, Tom Waits. Released last week.118 mins
Given the pedigree of the talent involved this seemed like a safe bet, a film that would drag the post-apocalyptic epic back from the ponderous, Gloomy Gus realms of The Road and return it to its natural habitat: leather-clad, gun totting barbarians acting out a displaced Western.
So why then were its distributors so wary of letting anyone see it, leaving it to the last moment possible to screen it to critics and getting everyone to sign embargoes forbidding mention of it prior to release date? Were they worried about the similarities to The Road? Both feature a man travelling west across a barren, desolate American landscape towards the coast and have a similar look; though the Brothers Hughes have gone for a lighter shade of grey, giving their barren, desolate America landscape a sun-bleached quality.
Both lead characters are on a quest to maintain the last shred of human decency in a world where depravity, rape and cannibalism are rife. But while Viggo Mortenson was a desperate, famished figure, Eli (Washington) is a well-nourished warrior – a Ninja-like, sword-wielding, one-man slaughterhouse - on a mission to protect and deliver a vitally important book.
It isn't a terrible film but it's certainly deeply flawed. The post-apocalyptic landscape is neither original nor particularly credible. The plot's full of holes and despite all the bloodletting and shooting the film never has the pace and urgency to grab the blockbuster crowd. It is stuck awkwardly between action movie (Blade walks The Road) and a quirky, ideas driven, sci-fi drama. It is not mindless, but it is capable of being pretty stupid.
But this is not what the distributors were trying to hide. No, the big secret that they didn't want first-night crowds to know about is God. The book that Eli is sworn to protect is, of course, The Bible and the mission is bringing The Word back to a godless wasteland. The responsibility of carrying it has turned the normally charismatic Washington into a pious, self-righteous dullard. Washington has made some dreadful films lately (he's fallen in with a bad lot, primarily Tony Scott) but this is the first time his performance hasn't been a redeeming feature.
Who is this film for? You’d assume it was too preachy for mainstream audiences but maybe there’s a lurking silent majority out there that’s been waiting for The Passion of Mad Max.
Directed by The Hughes Brothers.
Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beal, Tom Waits. Released last week.118 mins
Given the pedigree of the talent involved this seemed like a safe bet, a film that would drag the post-apocalyptic epic back from the ponderous, Gloomy Gus realms of The Road and return it to its natural habitat: leather-clad, gun totting barbarians acting out a displaced Western.
So why then were its distributors so wary of letting anyone see it, leaving it to the last moment possible to screen it to critics and getting everyone to sign embargoes forbidding mention of it prior to release date? Were they worried about the similarities to The Road? Both feature a man travelling west across a barren, desolate American landscape towards the coast and have a similar look; though the Brothers Hughes have gone for a lighter shade of grey, giving their barren, desolate America landscape a sun-bleached quality.
Both lead characters are on a quest to maintain the last shred of human decency in a world where depravity, rape and cannibalism are rife. But while Viggo Mortenson was a desperate, famished figure, Eli (Washington) is a well-nourished warrior – a Ninja-like, sword-wielding, one-man slaughterhouse - on a mission to protect and deliver a vitally important book.
It isn't a terrible film but it's certainly deeply flawed. The post-apocalyptic landscape is neither original nor particularly credible. The plot's full of holes and despite all the bloodletting and shooting the film never has the pace and urgency to grab the blockbuster crowd. It is stuck awkwardly between action movie (Blade walks The Road) and a quirky, ideas driven, sci-fi drama. It is not mindless, but it is capable of being pretty stupid.
But this is not what the distributors were trying to hide. No, the big secret that they didn't want first-night crowds to know about is God. The book that Eli is sworn to protect is, of course, The Bible and the mission is bringing The Word back to a godless wasteland. The responsibility of carrying it has turned the normally charismatic Washington into a pious, self-righteous dullard. Washington has made some dreadful films lately (he's fallen in with a bad lot, primarily Tony Scott) but this is the first time his performance hasn't been a redeeming feature.
Who is this film for? You’d assume it was too preachy for mainstream audiences but maybe there’s a lurking silent majority out there that’s been waiting for The Passion of Mad Max.
