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Friday, September 3, 2010

THE BOOK OF ELI

Directed by The Hughes Brothers
Starring Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals, Tom Waits, Michael Gambon, Malcolm McDowell

I've always personally liked films that deal with apocalypse and the world after that. Films Like The Road, Max Max, 28 Days Later and Waterworld. The vision of the future is always bleak to say the least and The Book Of Eli makes no exception.

 Washington plays a drifter, Eli who travels the wasteland of a post-nuclear war America. People do anything for survival and there are very few towns or communities left. In his backpack he also carries the last known King James' Holy Bible. Oldman plays Carnegie, a man obsessed with finding the book in order to use it to control the people of his little town. Eli manages to escape Carnegie's town with Solara (Kunis) and the hunt for the good book escalates.

 The Book Of Eli doesn't seem to be able to make it's mind up on wether it stands behind the message of the Bible or if it's merely just a way to control primitive minds. Carnegie's motives are clearly of those of right wing political conservatives who've used the word of God among other things to call people to war in order to reach their own goals. By the way a side note: I'm not making this shit up, this is the part that's frightfully real. Eli on the other hand wonders alone with his faith and draws his own strength from the book without bothering anyone (as it fucking should be!). Bottom line is that they are all in one way or another obsessed with the word of God and not much any good comes out of it in the end. I don't personally know if that was the message  intended, but it sure seems like that to me.

 Oldman is terrific with baddie roles and Kunis might seriously be the most beautiful woman on the face of this planet. Visually the film is absolutely stunning.. there is just something so poetic about the landscapes of these films. Perhaps I'm just fucked in the head, but I'd like to see some major cataclysmic event take place in my lifetime. The Book Of Eli is good, but if you want to see a better film from these directors, see From Hell and if you want to see better apocalyptic pieces, see The Road Warrior or The Terminator.

KITEYTETTYNÄ SINIVALKOISILLE
The Book Of Eli on vahvalla uskonnollisella alavireellä varustettu apokalyptinen toimintaelokuva, jonka parhaimmistoa ovat Oldman perinteisessä pahiksen roolissa ja upea visuaalinen ilme. Harrasta viestiä välittävä elokuva päätyy lopulta (vahingossa?) todistamaan jälleen ettei uskonnosta ole kuin riesaa, sillä se aina ajaa jonkun äärimmäisiin tekoihin muiden vastustuksen paineen edessä.

The Book Of Eli at IMDb

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