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The Book of Eli | 
| Directors: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
Actors: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson, Jennifer Beals
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.98
Buy Used: $6.35
as of 9/9/2010 07:56 CDT details
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Rating:  274 reviews
Sales Rank: 148
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English (Unknown)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Running Time: 118 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 883929103409
UPC: 883929103409
EAN: 0883929103409
ASIN: B002ZG997C
Theatrical Release Date: January 15, 2010
Release Date: June 15, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
With unflappable cool and surprising gentleness, Denzel Washington strides a bleak and barren world in The Book of Eli. Eli is headed west, but on the way, he passes devastation and squalor, and occasionally he must mete out some devastation of his own with a sharp blade. But when he arrives in what passes for a town in this dust-and-ash future, the power-hungry owner of the town's bar, Carnegie (Gary Oldman, looking a million years old), covets his one important possession. (Spoiler alert, sort of: it becomes apparent pretty quickly that it's a King James Bible.) Conflict ensues! Though the plot is simple and the "mystery" of the book doesn't last long, The Book of Eli is carried along effortlessly by its star. Washington has always had a compelling mixture of authority and tenderness, and it's this latter quality that makes this contribution to the testosterone-and-violence-drenched post-apocalyptic subgenre unexpectedly human. The script, while not particularly original, has effective dialogue and is smart enough not to explain too much. The supporting actors--including Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Jennifer Beals (who hasn't aged a day since Flashdance), and Ray Stevenson (Rome)--are all capable and easy on the eyes. The movie's bleached-out, sepia-tone look isn't new either, but it suits the subject matter. Anyone who wants to be offended by the movie's spiritual conclusion would be wiser to enjoy the subversive insinuation that religion can enslave as much as save. All in all, a competent action movie with some enjoyably atypical elements. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
A man travels across a post-apocalyptic American protecting a sacred book that holds secrets to the survival of humans.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 274
 Eye-opening February 3, 2010
Michael J. Tresca (Fairfield, CT USA)
48 out of 55 found this review helpful
The Book of Eli is a vastly underappreciated film that mixes martial arts swordsmanship, a post-apocalyptic setting, and a biblical narrative.
A war, over thirty years ago, killed off many people in the United States. Others were blinded from the blast. This creates an interesting disparity between those over thirty years of age who received an education and those under thirty who know nothing of the modern world (at one point, one of the thugs asks, "What's a television?").
This is an unpleasant world. Cannibalistic brigands ambush unwary travelers, identifiable by their shaking hands. Water is at a premium. Batteries are hard to find. The Book of Eli makes it clear that there's no currency, only barter.
Roaming the land is Eli (a subdued Denzel Washington), carrying a book with a cross on it. This book is greatly desired by Carnegie (a greasy Gary Oldman), who is also old enough to remember the power such a tome can have over the people. While Eli has been wandering for thirty years in pursuit of such a destination, Carnegie has been sending illiterate henchmen to retrieve every book he can find. The encounter between the two has all the fire and brimstone of a battle between heaven and hell.
Thrown into the mix is Solara (played beautifully by Mila Kunis, who finally sheds her trademark accent), a young, attractive girl who has grown up under Carnegie's protection but, as she flowers into womanhood, is about to become a bargaining chip, a piece of meat, and a lure. When there's no one left to protect her, she becomes a wanderer in Eli's footsteps.
From a religious point of view, it's educational to understand who Eli was in the Bible. In the Bible, Eli's children are cursed for behaving wickedly, a parallel for the war that destroyed civilization in the movie. God's curse assures that all men will "die by the sword" - in the movie Eli expertly cuts a bloody swath through his enemies with his machete. In the Bible, it was the job of Eli's sons to guard the Ark of the Covenant - the pact God made with man - just as Eli guards the holy book in the movie.
There's a twist ending that's not a twist of all if you read up about Eli in the Bible. But don't - watch the movie, then do some research, then watch the movie again. Like Eli's quest for spiritual fulfillment, the experience will be rather eye-opening.
An Excellent Movie -- Excellent performances June 20, 2010
D. Vitro (Atlanta, GA USA)
34 out of 41 found this review helpful
I first saw this movie at the theatre. It touched me on such an emotional level that I knew that I would need to purchase it as soon as it became available...which for me is highly unusual. I've long been a Denzel Washington fan, and now consider this to be his finest performance ever. Mila Kunis was excellent as well. I've read some of the other reviews for this film and it would seem that many of the reviewers are bending over backward to declare that the movie is not "religious". Well, in my opinion, it was very spiritual and was basically about the power of God in directing His servant to adhere to His Will through many extreme difficulties over a period of 30+ years in order to eventually accomplish the goal that God had intended. The movie begins in the final trial of Eli's journey and we are allowed to observe the constancy of Eli's "walk by faith, not by sight". It is a tale of beauty in a very bleak world.
If there were more stars this movie would get them all June 17, 2010
Helen Thomas
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Fabulous portrayal of...
The WORD made flesh....
I got it!
Great work.
This is one of those 'must haves' for your library.
"The Book Of Eli" is great! January 16, 2010
Kris King (Malone, NY USA)
54 out of 75 found this review helpful
"The Book Of Eli" is great! This is how the story goes: In the not-too-distant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. Empty cities, broken highways, seared earth--all around him, the marks of catastrophic destruction. There is no civilization here, no law. The roads belong to gangs that would murder a man for his shoes, an ounce of water... or for nothing at all.
But they're no match for this traveler.
A warrior not by choice but necessity, Eli seeks only peace but, if challenged, will cut his attackers down before they realize their fatal mistake. It's not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future; a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years and is determined to realize. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive--and continue.
Only one other man in this ruined world understands the power Eli holds, and is determined to make it his own: Carnegie, the self-appointed despot of a makeshift town of thieves and gunmen. Meanwhile, Carnegie's adopted daughter Solara is fascinated by Eli for another reason: the glimpse he offers of what may exist beyond her stepfather's domain.
But neither will find it easy to deter him. Nothing--and no one--can stand in his way. Eli must keep moving to fulfill his destiny and bring help to a ravaged humanity.
The cast led by Denzel Washington (who also produced) (as Eli) & Gary Oldman (as Carnegie) is great! The directing by The Hughes Brothers (Albert & Allen) (both of them also directed "Menace II Society" (1993, both also co-produced and wrote the story), "Dead Presidents" (1995, both also produced and wrote the story) & "From Hell" (2001, both also executive produced) is great! The story & screenplay by Gary Whitta is great!
The music by Atticus Ross is great! The cinematography by Don Burgess (who also did the cinematography to "Forrest Gump" (1994), "Contact" (1997), "What Lies Beneath" (2000), "Cast Away" (2000), & "The Polar Express" (2004), all which were directed by Robert Zemeckis), "Spider-Man" (2002), "Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines" (2003), & the upcoming "Priest" (2010) is great! The film editing by Cindy Mollo is great! The casting by Mindy Marin (who also did the casting to "Up In The Air" (2009), the upcoming "Tooth Fairy" (2010) & "Repo Men" (2010) is great! The production design by Gae S. Buckley (who also did the production design to "Open Range" (2003) is great! The art direction by Christopher Burian-Mohr (who also did the art direction to "The Last Samurai" (2003) is great! The costume design by Sharen Davis (who also did the costume design to "Devil In A Blue Dress" (1995, which also starred Washington and Jennifer Beals), "Antwone Fisher" (2002), "The Great Debaters" (2007), "Out Of Time" (2003), all which also starred Washington), "Ray" (2004), "The Pursuit Of Happyness" (2006), "Dreamgirls" (2006) & "Seven Pounds" (2008) is great!
This is a great action film that is a little different than other action films. This is a different looking film that people aren't probably used to. Denzel Washington & Gary Oldman are excellent as usual.
Incredible June 16, 2010
S. W. Steiner (New Mexico)
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
The music, the sound, the lighting, the setting... It all works together in this movie in such a way that you can see the world Eli lives in as if you were there. Whether you are religious or not, it doesn't matter. Anyone can enjoy this film and the amazing story that is told.
If you enjoy Denzel Washington movies, you'll love it. If you enjoy movies with a strong protaganist, you'll love this movie. If you love seeing Gary Oldman as the bad guy, you'll definitely love this movie. Also, if you enjoy stories of faith... You'll love this movie. It's worth watching at least once.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 274
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