THE BOOK OF ELI

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Denzel Washington: Eli
Tom Waits: a pawnshop owner
Gary Oldman: Carnegie, the town boss
Jennifer Beals: his mistress Claudia
Mila Kunis: her daughter Solara
Ray Stevenson: Carnegie’s right-hand man Redridge
Michael Gambon: homeowner George
Frances de la Tour: his wife Martha

REVIEW
The bleakness and devastation of a post-apocalyptic world is a suitable setting for a lone walker “heading west”. Along the way he encounters people out to do him harm giving him ample opportunity to demonstrate his skill in Kung Fu fighting.

The acting is fine throughout and there are enough holes in the plot to keep you guessing.

Even though it is not an entirely original idea, it is nevertheless entertaining enough but a tad too long at almost 2 hours.

CLASSIFICATION
for brutal violence and language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• When Carnegie confronts Eli outside in front of the saloon strong shadows are falling across the width of the street; when Eli turns and walks down the street the sun has done a 90° change in direction and now the shadows are along the length of the street.
• Without reloading Eli fires off 28 shots with his pistol. The largest magazine of any handgun (a Glock Model 22) holds a mere 15 bullets.
• Two bad guys are killed and lay somewhere in the middle of a 15’ long cement storm sewer. When Eli approaches them they have conveniently moved closer to the end of it so he does not have to go in it.
• After a barroom fight Eli has a fairly large blood stain on the right hand side of his grungy old sweater. Later when sitting around a campfire we can see the stain has completely disappeared and in fact the sweater looks perfectly new.
• Eli says the lyrics he just quoted are from Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues; they are not.
• Again the sun plays tricks on us: the long shadows when Eli meets up with Carnegie and his gang outside the old house are those of late afternoon. When they leave in their van the overhead shot shows the shadows to be directly beneath the vehicle, which would be around noon.