The Book of Eli

(Rated R)

Hollywood loves post-apocalyptic movies. And who can blame them? The subject provides excellent fodder for exciting stories and incredible action—take the Mad Max films, for example. They can also move us with their poignancy and thoughtfulness—see (or better yet read!) The Road. The Book of Eli falls somewhere in between those two extremes.

Denzel Washington plays Eli, a wanderer in this bleak landscape who’s making his way West. We’re not told what exactly caused the destruction, just that one day 30 years ago there was a flash, and the sun came down from the sky. Other than a few people who happened to be in a safe location, such as underground, most died. So people such as Eli are rare, and considered “old.” It’s a world full of young people who have no memory or knowledge of what life was like before, one that exists on a barter system, where food and water are precious commodities. And it’s brutal—cannibalism, rape, and violence are all around. But Eli’s able to handle himself; he dispatches foes with lethal efficiency using a variety of weapons.

So on his way West Eli comes across a town run by Carnegie, played by the excellent Gary Oldman. He’s another of the few “old” people—who are also just about the only people who can read. Carnegie’s got his minions looking for a book, and they burn any that aren’t the one book he’s after. What’s he after? The Bible. It seems that people blamed Christianity for the evil that befell the world, and all of the Bibles were burned. All except the Book of Eli, which is the last remaining Bible. And it’s not a Generic Religious Text, or an Ambiguous Spiritual Tome of Knowledge and Wisdom. It’s a King James Bible.

Both men have unshakable faith in the power of the book. Carnegie remembers that some who used the Bible were able to wield incredible power, and he wants that for himself. It’s a way to control the “weak and the desperate.”

Eli only knows he’s been told by a voice to take his Bible and go West with it, and he feels compelled to do so. But it’s an interesting challenge for him. Early in the film he comes across a situation where someone is about to be raped. Given his fighting talents he can probably take care of her attackers. But instead, he tells himself, “Stay on the path; it’s not your concern.” Is his task important enough that he shouldn’t risk it to save “just one person”?

As the film progresses, Eli is joined by a young woman (Mila Kunis) trying to escape Carnegie’s grip. At first he’s reluctant to have a companion, but as they grow closer Eli eventually realizes that he hasn’t always lived by that Word he’s trying so desperately to protect.

It’s amazing to find a Hollywood movie that functions under the assumption that God is real, and communicates with us, and cares about what happens here on Earth. Eli’s quest is compelling and important.

Is the movie perfect? No. Eli is just too amazing at fighting to be believable. Part of what makes great and memorable action heroes so…great is that they’re flawed—Bruce Willis’ John McClane in Die Hard, for instance. Why should I care if I think you’re indestructible? Also, Mila Kunis has grown up in a society where shampoo, toothpaste, soap, and lotion don’t exist, but her hair, teeth, and skin look flawless. Okaaaaay.

Who is Eli, and what becomes of his trek? There’s no way I’ll spoil that for you. Just know it’s a good movie, and one where God and faith and belief are front-and-center.

Rated R for some brutal violence and language.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think Eli believed so strongly in what he was doing?
• What would you have done in his situation?
• Why did Carnegie want the Bible so badly? Why that particular book?
• How was the idea of what was “precious” different in this movie than it is now?
• Does that make you think differently about things we hold precious now?
• Why do you think Eli didn’t help the person about to be raped at the beginning? Was his task more important than “just one person”? Why or why not?
• What would it take for you to have the kind of belief Eli had?