War broke out and left America (and possibly the rest of the planet) scorched. A land once abundant in resources is now a desolate wasteland where the surviving humans rummage for food and clean drinking water.

A man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) is the self appointed mayor of a small town. He sends his minions out to search for a special book that can give him indomitable power over the people’s will. The men search and find many books but the desired literary work continuously eludes them.

One fine day a man named Eli (Denzel Washington) walks through the town on his way westward. Carnegie discovers that Eli possesses the sacred text he craves. When Carnegie asks for it nicely Eli refuses prompting Carnegie to get more aggressive. Eli will have to rely on his formidable fighting skills and keen senses to stay a step ahead of Carnegie’s gang so he can deliver the book to its rightful place.

The trailer for The Book of Eli promises a lot of action and there is indeed some intense moments of adrenaline charged activity. But the heart of the plot is less about Eli’s swordplay and more about his quest to deliver the sacred text to the sacred place in the sacred west (picking up on a theme here?).

It would be easier to tell you what the sacred book is. It would certainly make typing up this review a lot easier but I’m going to save that tidbit for you to discover if you ultimately decide to watch The Book of Eli. I will give a hint that the book has strong religious connotations. Spirituality makes up the backbone of the film. It plays a major part for Eli because it fuels his voyage westward and his reason for existing. It is of great importance to Carnagie because reintroducing a lost religion can help him enthrall the people under his guidance just as it helped leaders to influence men’s minds before the blast.

The film is basically about rediscovering the true meaning of religion set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop. One character tries to preserve the purity of religion while the other wants to manipulate and twist the text to serve his selfish purposes.

So, yes, there is action. Denzel dispatches bandits like a modern day samurai with great efficiency and speed. The goons also pack some heavy artillery with various weapons and vehicles. Just expect some substantial moments of downtime throughout The Book of Eli. I liked the character building moments because it elevated the film from being a Mad Max tribute show. On the other hand, my mother was thankful for the “boom-boom” moments because they kept her awake.

There’s also a wonderful moment of humor when Eli and his companion, Solara (Mila Kunis), happen upon a house in the wilderness. There’s a couple of good and grizzly reasons why the elderly couple that dwells in that house have been able to survive for so long. Of course, I won’t tell you why but the big reveal is quite a hoot.

Another great moment is the conclusion that packs a very nice triple twist that you may or may not be able to predict beforehand. I’d say even the shrewdest detective wouldn’t be able to guess all three. Possibly two, but the third? Nah.

Denzel Washington is still “The Man”. I’m not sure how much of the action he actually did but his dramatic chops are as sharp as ever. “Eli” is the classic lone warrior that follows the path of the righteous and those that try to sway him end up on the floor in a puddle of their own blood. Gary Oldman is the crooked mayor I loved to jeer at. The man is so evil he forces his step-daughter to prostitute herself. Nothing is more vile than a bad guy that forces his underlings to do the dirty work for him. Yuck!

Mila Kunis is a welcome sight as “Solara”, the step-daughter of Carnegie. Solara helps out at the town tavern trying to keep from being used and abused by Carnegie and his cronies. Unfortunately, it’s hard for Solara to stand up to her oppressors when Carnegie uses her blind mother, Claudia (Jennifer Beals), as incentive to do what he commands. If Solara refuses Carnegie’s whims then he tortures the mother until Solara caves. Nice guy, right? Anyway, Solara ends up with Eli and becomes his unofficial follower. I think I’ll always see Ms. Kunis as “Jackie” from That ‘70s Show but seeing her in a role like this was refreshing. She did alright, in my book.

Ray Stevenson plays “Redridge”, Carnegie’s number one henchman. After seeing Mr. Stevenson portray such a no nonsense character like “Frank Castle” in Punisher: War Zone I knew that “Redridge” was destined to be another bad-to-the-bone that takes no guff from anyone and has no qualms about doing his job. Of course, that steely exterior changes a little as the plot continues. And I just saw Tom Waits in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and what a coinkydink to see him in this movie as well.

Overall, I liked The Book of Eli. I liked the overall production and I really dug the concepts of returning to the roots of religion and that ever popular cinematic warning about the dangers of nuclear warfare. Again, there is action but look forward to a lot more in the plot such as spirituality and the state of humanity in a world almost devoid of decent morality.

Rhymes With: The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), The Road (2009), Escape From New York (1981), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)