What Do The Critics Say?

"The film does sport a pulpy theme about the power of faith, but like Angels & Demons it propels character and ultra-violent action, with which Eli is bountifully blessed. Directors Allen and Albert Hughes stage some impressive set-pieces, including intricately choreographed fights and a stunning shoot-out covered by a single rotating camera. 3 STARS." Jim Schembri THE AGE "A stylish, gritty fantasy feature that wrestles with the agonies, joys and eternal wrinkles of faith and evil and the dangerous minuet they do." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST "The Book of Eli gives us some of that old time religion - along with a heaping helping of violence." Christian Toto WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH? "The vastly entertaining 'The Book of Eli,' shows that fancy swordplay/shootouts and faith don't have to be mutually exclusive." Jeffrey Lyles GAZETTE "A hyper-violent, post-apocalyptic Western in the mould of Mad Max." Michael O'Sullivan WASHINGTON POST "The Book of Eli continues Hollywood's obsession with post-apocalyptic tales, and in many ways feels like it belongs in the same world as The Road with its ash-laden wastelands and crazed cannibals roaming about. But the comparisons end there. Hollywood has released a mainstream action movie about the Bible. If Eli sparks discussion about faith and the vitality of God's Word, that's cause for acclaim. 3 STARS." Russ Breimeier CHRISTIANITY TODAY

"The first feel-good, post-apocalyptic, religious thriller of the year (unless you hate Christians, deplore gun violence, and/or love book burnings.) It’s no secret that Hollywood is running out of good villains, and as the global obsession with "The Da Vinci Code" proved, the tennants of religion can still power a story that can shake the pillars of heaven. 3 SKULLS." Kevin A Ranson MOVIECRYPT "The more I think about this film, the more I love it. Book of Eli packs such a punch at the end." Kevin McCarthy BDK REVIEWS "What strength and intensity the movie musters begins and ends with Washington." Tom Maurstad DALLAS MORNING NEWS "The surprise ending almost matches the denouement of The Sixth Sense as an audience grabber." Matt Brunson CREATIVE LOAFING "The film's somewhat religious plot appears creative and intriguing as does the mysterious man who carries the book." Diana Saenger REVIEW EXPRESS "Gary Whitta’s script seems set out to mimic the contours of a religious parable. It has simplicity, sweep, incredible last minute plot twists, mystical happenings and a fundamental belief in Faith. In the US and UK the movie's 'Pilgrim with a Gun premise', and (apparent) devotion to God, has met with a lot of outrage. It’s hard to understand that kind of hysteria. Eli is hardly the first movie to propose that God can speak from the mouth of a gun." Peter Galvin SBS FILM

The Inside Story on "The Book Of Eli" "One day I heard this voice, like it was coming from inside me. It led me to a place. I found this book, buried deep in the rubble. And the voice told me to carry it west." "What we liked about this story was that it was an action adventure but it also had something to say about commitment, sacrifice, survival and human nature," offers Allen Hughes, who, with his twin brother, Albert, directed "The Book of Eli". It is the fifth feature film for the pair, who made their auspicious debut at age twenty with the powerful and acclaimed inner-city drama "Menace II Society". Albert Hughes says the film takes audiences "to a future that is decimated: whether by war, nuclear or natural disasters, or any combination of events; it doesn’t matter. The devastation is total and that allowed us to speculate about how the world would look and how people would manage if the whole grid was wiped out and we were thrown back into a primitive way of life. There would be a lot of lawlessness. But, in time, there might be a few brave individuals who would regain a sense of purpose and take up the mantle of leadership." Eli is one of these few. In a time when people are either hunter or prey, he dares to be a free man, committed only to his belief in what he’s doing and his determination to see it through. But the price he pays for following his conscience is harsh. Without respite, without a home…nearly every day brings him into fresh peril and another fight against the forces that would drag him and whatever is left of society into an ever-deeper abyss. Exactly who Eli is: where he comes from and where he is going; remains largely, and intentionally, a mystery. "A character like Eli, the enigmatic lone warrior, is almost mythical," says Allen Hughes. "You know there’s a rich back story, but it shouldn’t be entirely revealed, and Denzel was conscientious about doing little things that would shed light into his past without spelling it out. One of his ideas was for Eli to bear a burn scar on his back as a mark of the catastrophe he has survived. He was very good at painting in those kinds of details that would add to Eli’s mystique." "One of the themes of the film is about believing you can do something that needs to be done, and then following through. Eli has a hard road to travel, literally, but he believes he can succeed," says producer Andrew A. Kosove ("Insomnia" & "The Blind Side"). "He has a driving faith in what he’s doing." But if it’s this conviction that keeps Eli focused, it’s his quick wits and quicker fists that keep him alive. Producer Joel Silver, the force behind some of Hollywood’s most memorable action films ("Die Hard" & "Lethal Weapon"), addressed the character’s dual nature. "He has a mission to fulfill. If people try to divert him from it or stop him for any reason, then he will, quite simply, do whatever is necessary to get past them. I think you’re inclined to forgive his actions because, at his core, he’s an honest and peaceful man, and this mission is the most important thing in the world to him." "Part of what makes Eli heroic is this focus on the future. He is constantly moving forward," notes producer David Valdes ("The Dead Pool" & "The Rookie"). "I'm a real movie fan. I love the classic struggle of good versus evil, and I especially love to see a hero who believes in the future as much as Eli does. It speaks of hope." The most formidable of Eli’s obstacles is a man named Carnegie. Like Eli, he is one of the few living relics from 'the time before' and carries the burden of remembering how things used to be." Unlike Eli, Carnegie has devoted the past thirty years to amassing a crude empire amid the ruins of an abandoned town and his taste for power has grown. He is accustomed to getting what he wants. What Carnegie wants now, is a book that Eli carries in his pack. "He’s not like the others. You won’t be able to make him do what you want." "It’s a great mano a mano dynamic between these two men in total opposition. Each of them wants the same thing but for entirely different reasons, and they are equally determined not to give up," Silver ("Romeo Must Die" & "Exit Wounds") says. In his role as one of the films producers, Oscar winner Denzel Washington contributed significantly to the development of Eli’s nemesis. Director Allen Hughes recalls Washington saying "The good guy is only as good as the bad guy is bad." Hughes also remembers talking about "whether or not Carnegie was a true villain or just a man caught in desperate times who does bad things as a means to an end. With Carnegie, things are not black and white, but gray. The remnants of his humanity make him all the more unpredictable." Washington and the Hughes brothers agreed that the actor portraying Carnegie would have to present Eli with a formidable challenge. That led them to BAFTA Alexander Korda Award winner, Gary Oldman ("Nil By Mouth"). "Gary’s a champion actor and I wanted to be sparring with the best," says Washington. Albert Hughes also cites Oldman’s "wicked sense of humor. He and Denzel injected some levity into tense moments on screen. It’s a serious story, but it’s definitely not bleak and especially not when these two face off." "I always appreciate a classic battle," Johnson attests. "When Denzel Washington confronts an enemy on screen, I know that’s a movie I’m going to enjoy." "Carnegie is essentially a dictator," Oldman ( Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in 1998's "The Fifth Element") states. "He has built this town through violence and through control of a very valuable commodity: fresh water; because he remembers where to find it. But he’s also smart. He has a philosophy. Carnegie is familiar with the book Eli carries and he’s aware of what it can achieve because it’s a part of his own history and childhood. He’s been looking for it himself for years. These two men have the same obsession over this book, though one is coming from a good place and one from a darker place." An essential question raised by the story is what contributes to building a civilization. As much as Eli believes the book will serve as the basis for a new, just and equitable society, a chance to start over and avoid the errors of the past, Carnegie sees the same text as a means to controlling people and expanding his dominion. The two might agree on the inherent power of the words between the covers of this book but have diametrically disparate views on how that power should be used. Carnegie and Eli's conflict plays out against the ongoing and immediate issues of survival that affect everyone around them, and is another of the themes the film explores. Screenwriter Gary Whitta once attended a practical two-day survival course in which he learned some stark truths that served to inspire some of the onscreen action. "The first thing you learn is that it’s not pleasant. You may have to eat something or drink something you would ordinarily never consider, but the bottom line is that you’ll do what you have to do to stay alive and that comes from basic human nature." "When people regress to a primitive level, true character emerges and every conflict is more dramatic," Allen Hughes ("From Hell") observes. "The simplest exchanges are potentially life-or-death." Carnegie’s household includes his blind common-law wife, Claudia, and her daughter, Solara, both of whom he rescued from the badlands years ago and continues to protect: though that benevolence is often tainted by his own self-interest. Mila Kunis ("Date Night"), who was cast as Solara, pointed out, "Carnegie keeps them safe, but they are virtually slaves for it. Solara is a smart girl, a young, strong spirit. She believes there is more to life than this town, but it’s not until she meets Eli that she is inspired to escape. Solara is fascinated and drawn to him. She wants to learn from him, follow him wherever he’s going and explore the rest of the world." "Mila is a firecracker," says Albert Hughes. "She plays Solara in a way that lets you watch her grow, and she grows up fast once outside of Carnegie’s control." Solara shares a strong bond with her mother, Claudia, played by Jennifer Beals (2003's "Runaway Jury"). "Claudia lives for her daughter." Beals states. Albert Hughes credits 1984 Image Award winner Beals (Outstanding Lead Actress for 1983's "Flashdance") with "playing all their tortured history in her face. There’s not a lot of dialogue so she communicates a lot through her body language and expressions." Like Solara, Claudia too has a strong reaction to Eli’s arrival. "The fact that Eli stands up to Carnegie is thrilling for her," says Beal, "because it’s something she would love to do but can’t." Another person who would love to stand up to Carnegie is his right-hand man, Redridge, played by Ray Stevenson ("King Arthur" & "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant"), a graduate of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. In the wasteland beyond Carnegie’s borders are two people who have devised their own unique way of coping with the daily difficulties of existence: George and Martha, played by four time BAFTA TV Award winner Michael Gambon (1987, 2000, '02 & '02) and 1981 Evening Standard British Film Award winner Frances de la Tour ("Rising Damp") as a happily married couple who are also shrewd survivalists. Eccentrics, even in this strange age, the pair live in a quaint, meticulously decorated cottage, complete with embroidered sofa pillows and framed photos on the wall: a striking anomaly in this desolate terrain where no other structures stand for miles in any direction. "They’ve tried to retain a bit of the old life, a wind-up gramophone and china cups for tea," says de la Tour ("The History Boys"). But like many things in "The Book of Eli", these two may not be what they seem. Veteran stunt coordinator Jeff Imada ("Fight Club" & "The Bourne Ultimatum") orchestrated the film’s explosive confrontations to reveal the breadth of Eli’s hard-won survival skills. "There will be a lot of weaponry, some knife fighting, sword and stick fighting; you’ll see Eli using his environment to defend himself, facing multiple opponents coming at him like a pack of wolves, and some one on ones," the 2008 Screen Actors Guild Award winning fight stunt coordinator revealed. "Anything goes." Preparation for these brutal sequences attest to Denzel Washington’s dedication. The dual Oscar winner put in months of hard work with some of the industry’s best trainers to credibly achieve the fluid action the filmmakers wanted, which meant fight scenes captured in a single take and without the support of a stunt double. "Denzel really stepped up to the plate," says Allen Hughes. "There were a lot of physically demanding scenes and we weren’t cutting around it and making him look good. He really had to do it straight through and he pulled it off. It was amazing." Working with renowned martial arts practitioner and teacher Dan Inosanto (a protégé of Bruce Lee), Imada subjected Washington to what he calls 'total immersion'. "I was fortunate to work with experts like Jeff and with Danny, one of the great masters of martial arts. It was challenging and a lot of fun to train with these guys in the dojo and I have the utmost respect for what they do." What's It All About?

In the not too distant future, some thirty years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the wasteland that was once America. The landscape is bleached dry and baked hard by the fierce sunlight. 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. They will do whatever it takes to survive. But they are no match for this traveller. He is 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 thirty 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. Some will kill to have it. He will kill to protect it.

The Verdict "There's always an air of expectation and a tinge of excitement whenever the name Denzel Washington is attached to a film. In the case of the Hughes Brothers "The Book Of Eli", that expectation is further heightened by the addition of another name: Gary Oldman. It's a fair assessment to say that both Washington and Oldman have had remarkable careers: with one glaring exception. While Washington is the recipient of two Oscar Awards (Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor), the man who played Commissioner James Gordon ("Batman Begins" & "The Dark Knight"), Sirius Black (three Harry Potter films), wowed audiences with a stunning performance as Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in "The Fifth Element" and had the audacity to hijack the President of the U.S.A in "Air Force One", is yet to receive an Academy Award nomination. What the two do boast is a massive body of work. So, despite all the good points that could be raised about the Hughes Brothers latest film (stunning landscape, enthralling storyline, exciting action scenes and a tea party with a twist), the big treat for most cinemagoers will undoubtebly be watching these two great actors going head to head and toe to toe, over a book! But not just any old book. Throws a neat curve-ball at the end. Entertaining. 3 1/2 STARS." The Production Team

Directs Written by Producers Original Music D.O.P. Film Editor Casting Production Design Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Design

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Albert & Allen Hughes (The Hughes Brothers) Gary Whitta Broderick Johnson/Andrew A. Kosove/Joel Silver David Valdes/Denzel Washington Atticus Ross/Leopold Ross/Claudia Sarne Don Burgess Cindy Mollo Mindy Marin Gae S Buckley Chris Burian-Mohr Patrick T. Cassidy Sharen Davis

Who Is Playing Who?

Denzel Washington Gary Oldman Mila Kunis Ray Stevenson Jennifer Beals Evan Jones Joe Pingue Frances de la Tour Michael Gambon Tom Waits Chris Browning Lora Cunningham Arron Shiver Justin Tade Mike Seal Richard Smith Angelique Midthunder

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Eli Carnegie Solara Redridge Claudia Martz Hoyt Martha George Engineer CHijack Leader Young Woman Hijacker Bartender Town Doctor Door Guard Orpheum Patron Gatling Gun Gunner

Run Time 118 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Sony Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.