OK film fans tonight's' detour has lead me on an unexpected path but, as is quoted in the film we'll discuss tonight, "We walk by faith, not by sight." Religious faith has been one of the most common subjects of film, from epics like The Ten Commandments and The Mission to more independent fare like The Rapture (a little seen curiosity) and The Apostle. They can center on the personal, intimate effect on a single person or the power faith wields on all of its followers. Faith in religion lifts, across its various platforms, the hearts and souls of billions of people. But as with anything man touches in this world, it can be used for the greater good or with selfish intentions.
The Book of Eli centers on faith and man's eternal struggle between the righteous and the wicked. Perhaps a little ambitious for a film set in a Mad Max-esqe future where the cliches are thick and original ideas scarce. The good news is the film looks spectacular thanks to the return of the Hughes Brothers from directing limbo. The twin brothers have a flare for distinctive visuals, as seen in the under appreciated From Hell. It gives the film a beautiful canvas to explore, but for the most part it goes unused. Despite a melodramatic script, which borrows heavily from both post-apocalyptic films and classic Westerns, Denzel Washington gives another intricate performance the rises above the material. Seems like that happens to him a lot, which I think is more than a little depressing. I'm looking at you Training Day.
The story centers on Eli (Washington) who has wandered the country heading West for the last 30 years (see symbolism), ever since WW III knocked the few remaining humans back a couple of centuries. We are rebuilding, but it's slow going since books have become a scarcity. Food and water, sure that makes sense. But books? Actually, this gets explained with one of the few clever ideas in the film. Anyway, it is a book that Eli defends from a wasteland town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman in a well worn groove). In fact, Carnegie has been sending out his road warriors to scrounge the desert remains for the very book Eli has in his possession. For those of you haven't seen the commercials on TV or the print ads or are purposefully dense, I will not reveal the name of the book here. But seriously, if that's a question you still have at this point, I'm glad to hear you survived the fall from the turnip truck.
To be honest, this film is religious subtext 101, without the subtext. There's a reveal in the film that's meant to surprise us but, as with any good magic trick, it only works if the sleight of hand has us looking elsewhere. Since there isn't much else going on in the film, it's less a surprise and more of a shoulder shrug.
What I did find interesting is a less developed idea, the importance of the printing press as a means of of power. Many great philosophers and theologians believe that ideas, like faith and religion, are where true power rests in this world. But word of mouth only gets you so far and the invention of the printing press has enabled ideas, both enlightened and evil alike, to spread across the world. It seems now that true power rests not only in the words we use to express our ideas but also in the means by which we impart them.
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