The Book of Eli (2010)

As I worried about not having enough creepy movies for the month, I happened to find this DVD on a giveaway shelf. Sure, the movie's not a horror or thriller, and even "sci-fi" would be a stretch despite the future setting, but it certainly depicts a world we would not prefer to the present.

Nobody says directly, but evidence suggests that the ruins across America are due to nuclear war. It must have been religious in nature, because people subsequently destroyed every Abrahamic tract they could find. After 31 years, some regret that decision, even if literacy has become as scarce as soap or fresh water. Loner Eli (Denzel Washington) has found the only copy of the KJV to his knowledge, and he believes that a voice has told him to take it westward, where it will be duly appreciated. Gang leader/de facto mayor Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman) will stop at nothing to get his hands on it, up to and including threatening his mistress's daughter, Solara (Mila Kunis), who wants to run away with Eli.

Why care so much about the Bible when you come nowhere close to following its precepts? Well, Carnegie anticipates that even more people will fall under his sway if he's the sole source of scripture. Eli, meanwhile, is an antihero along the lines of Wolverine, looking out only for himself at first and generally doing things we wouldn't accept outside of dystopian desperation. He even has the badassery of Wolverine, with sharp hearing and smelling, swift blade work, and no fear of gunshots when he has no bullets of his own. OK, maybe Blade suits him better, given his shades, race, and permanent scowl. (Hope you like combat ballet.) At any rate, the Bible tells of many sinful men carrying out God's will, so Eli wouldn't be out of character.

The premises remind me of the Mad Max series. There are even vehicle chases across the desert and, alas, hints of gang rape. That said, the villains aren't as half hammy, and the punk style isn't half as hideous. The most notable visual aspect is the limited color palette, favoring brown. I think that sort of technique was more common at the time of production.

At its best, TBoE is fairly exciting and well-staged, and the bleakness gives way to more hope than usual for a post-apocalyptic story. (You don't have to like the Bible to recognize the value in preserving it for cultural education.) Just don't expect fresh concepts or piety.