Directed by the Hughes Brothers (From Hell) and produced by the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix), this post-apocalyptic actioner stars Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Michael Gambon, Mila Kunis and Tom Waits.
Washington stars as a lone warrior named Eli, who fights his way across the desolate wasteland of near-future America to protect a sacred book that can bring civilization back from the brink of destruction.
Coming hot on the heels of The Road, Eli is a far more conventional and formulaic vision of future hell. Yes folks we're in Mad Max, Terminator Salvation and even The Postman country as a grizzled, bible toting and quoting Denzel goes on his ‘lone wolf’ (or Littlest Hobo) mission to save humanity, one town at a time.
Gary Whitta's story follows a traditional western template with Washington standing in for Clint Eastwood as the man with virtually no name, although the late, sneaky twist is very welcome. And for a tale with distinctly religious overtones there is an awful lot of un-Christian behaviour from all parties.
Using bleached visuals, a dissonant atonal electronic score and the occasional slo-mo, the Hughes brothers try to pep up proceedings but they have to resort to shadows for a lot of the fight scenes, perhaps because Washington is feeling his age. Oldman never really gets out of second gear as a bad guy, while cameos from Gambon, de La Tour and Malcolm McDowell seem odd rather than essential. But it is good to know that even in a desolate future MP3 players still work and KFC towelettes can perform a vital task.
By James Croot, Flicks.co.nz
I found this movie intense to say the least,.... the story line is NOT far fetched and could possibly happen.. my perspective throughout the movie was Spiritual, especially in the aspect of how God protects Eli and brings His Will to pass. I was greatly encouraged to read the BOOK!! and keep the FAITH!!
Although a little slow I actually found this to be interesting. Disagree with the comment above. It was obviously not your 'cup of tea'.
choice
This movie was slow and boring with the few action scenes being over in a blink. Its not worth the money and its definitely not worth wasting 2 hours of your time. What an absolute let down. I'm rather pissed off on how bad it was.
The film looks and feels good, and Washington's performance is the more uncanny the more we think back over it. The ending is "flawed," as we critics like to say, but it's so magnificently, shamelessly, implausibly flawed that (a) it breaks apart from the movie and has a life of its own, or (b) at least it avoids being predictable.
Mad Max 2 with Thought for the Day thrown in. There’s some ace post-holocaust action, but you can’t help feel you were invited to a party with fizzy pop and cream cake and got suckered into a sermon instead.
The Hughes Brothers' measured, well-paced direction complements the comic-book simplicity of this narrative.
The movie keeps you watching and generally engaged.
For all its knife scraps, shoot-outs, big bangs and fisticuffs, Denzel’s latest is a sluggish affair weighed down by its lofty themes. It also comes with a preposterous twist and a paying-the-rent performance from Oldman that’s pure cured ham.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 6th May 2010.
Release date: May 6th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
