The End of the World has been getting a lot of attention lately, which probably is directly related to the recession still going on in America and most of the rest of the world. Nothing like feeding off the feelings of uncertainty and apprehension to fill the seats at the theaters.
First came the actual end of (most of) the world in "2012", then came the long delayed release of Viggo Mortensen's uber-somber "The Road", where a man and his young son travel across a United States ten years after a catastrophe wiped out almost every living thing. You could possibly even include last week's "Daybreakers" in this category, as in that film, humans were nearly extinct, leaving only vampires.
Into that mix comes the Denzel Washington star vehicle "The Book of Eli", a wildly uneven headscratcher that is nonetheless highly watchable.
In comparing this film to the deluge of post-apocalyptic movies, I'd have to say that "The Book of Eli" is basically a cross between "The Road" and "Mad Max"...with a little "Waterworld" thrown in for good measure.
Washington's character never states his name...it is inferred from a K-Mart nametag in his backpack that says "My name is Eli". It has been 30 years since nuclear holocaust destroyed the world, and Eli is now on a mission of faith. He is travelling west, certain that he has something needed in starting mankind back on the path towards civilization and redemption.
He is carrying a book that he feels is essential to that recovery, but I won't give away anything about it in this review...except to say it wasn't really what I expected from watching the trailers. Eli may be old (there aren't many left who knew "the world before"), and he may be horribly scarred on his back, but his martial arts and shooting skills make him no match for any band of marauders meaning to do him harm.
He soon enters what passes as a major city in this desolation, a collection of several hundred survivors living in cars and hovels, scratching by an existence under the thumb of the leader, Carnegie, played to perfection by Gary Oldman, and his band of ruffians. Carnegie witnesses Eli's abilities in dispatching a group of road agents, and knows that this man is worth his weight in water. But Carnegie is also seeking something to help him control (subdue) his people, which puts him in conflict with Eli, who is unwilling to give up his treasure.
For much of the "second act" of this film, it plays out like old spaghetti western, with Eli and the young woman Solara (Mila Kunis) eluding the band of bad guys. And here is where the movie stretches belief, and could easily devolve into banality were it not for the talents of the two stars. As I mentioned in my Crystal Ball previewing this movie, Washington and Oldman are so good that I could watch them just sitting there reading a phone book. Every scene they have together is wonderful to watch, even if the lines they are saying are groan inducing. Put them in the hands of lesser actors, and it would be totally unwatchable.
There are also other stellar performances that added greatly to the story. Mila Kunis showed some serious potential as a dramatic actress as Solara, a woman desperate to find more meaning in life who naturally gravitates towards Eli, and gradually becomes his trusted companion. Ray Stevenson (Titus Pullo from "Rome") plays the hulking muscle supporting Carnegie with a higher level of intelligence than you'd normally see from this kind of two dimensional goon. Both actors rose above the material, not necessarily easy to do as most of their scenes could have been totally eclipsed by Washington and Oldman, with whom they share almost all of their lines.
The cameo roles were a delight, with Jennifer Beals, Tom Waits, Malcolm McDowell and Michael Gambon showing up to add to the story (even if Gambon's character itself adds nothing but eye rolling to the plot...it's still entertaining eye rolling).
The film is ultimately redeemed by a very interesting and thought invoking final 30 minutes when, for the first time in the entire movie, the events aren't totally predictable. It is the type of ending that will make you think back on the film to see if it was a cheat...and you might think it was. For myself, I think it was in line with the character of Eli, and was the culmination of the debate about religion, faith, and fate that underscores this story.
Had the movie been this way throughout, it would have been much better. However, they could never decide whether or not to focus primarily on the "Mad Max" action-adventure part with the dirty, wild looking gangs Eli runs into; the dour "what would really happen to humanity" sociological study of "The Road", including the fears of cannibalism; or the "wacky, charismatic leader of degenerates" semi-comedic take off from "Waterworld" (although Oldman was nowhere near as over-the-top as Dennis Hopper).
That it couldn't decide on a consistent theme stops this from being a very good movie...but it's still one that I think most would enjoy watching, especially given the two lead actors.
My Rating: Bill Nelsen (2 ½ footballs).