"The Book of Eli" offers something for every viewer

“The Book of Eli”, directed by the Hughes brothers, is a post-apocalyptic tale in which a lone man named Eli (played by Denzel Washington) fights his way across America against gangs of hijackers, thieves and murderers in order to protect a sacred book that is not the last of its kind, but also holds the secrets to saving mankind. On the way, his biggest enemy is a surviving town-leader named Carnegie (played by Gary Oldman), who is also searching for this book in order to use it to control the people in his town. Along the way, he is joined by a young girl named Solara (played by Mila Kunis) who hears an excerpt from Eli’s book and is inspired to follow him in his journey.

The action scenes in the film were incredibly well-done and were heart-racing from beginning to end. When Eli and Solara come to a gunfight stand-off at a house in the middle of nowhere against Carnegie and his men, it is highly intense and very entertaining for action film junkies. However, the scenes are also fairly brief, for they often end only a few minutes or several seconds after they begin. When Eli is attacked by hijackers and swiftly kills them all at the beginning of the film, it only lasts maybe 20 seconds. When the action scenes are over, the film continues at quite a slow pace, especially when Eli is walking through barren wastelands and old highways filled with crashed, abandoned cars. Because of this, the film has a sense of isolation and emptiness, but also wariness and danger, much like in the 2007 Will Smith film “I Am Legend”. However, this does not detract from the actual context of the story, for there are many messages throughout that teach the audience to not take for granted what they have and to have faith.

As it is a thought-provoking and amazing film, I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story. I also reassure those who are skeptical about it that the movie has something for everyone. Whether it be the intense action sequences, the moving dialogue, or the suspenseful story that leads right up the shocking realization at the ending, the movie should definitely be an enjoyable experience to any movie-goer.