The Book of Eli (2010)

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Directors:

Albert Hughes (as The Hughes Brothers), Allen Hughes (as The Hughes Brothers)

Writer:

Gary Whitta

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Ray Stevenson

3 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	Eli
Gary Oldman	...	Carnegie
Mila Kunis	...	Solara
Ray Stevenson	...	Redridge
Jennifer Beals	...	Claudia
Evan Jones	...	Martz
Joe Pingue	...	Hoyt
Frances de la Tour	...	Martha (as Frances De La Tour)
Michael Gambon	...	George
Tom Waits	...	Engineer
Chris Browning	...	Hijack Leader
Richard Cetrone	...	Hijacker
Lateef Crowder	...	Hijacker / Construction Thug
Keith Splinter Davis	...	Hijacker (as Keith Davis)
Don Thai Theerathada	...	Hijacker (as Don Theerathada)

Storyline

In a violent post-apocalyptic society, a drifter, Eli (Denzel Washington), has been wandering westward across North America for the last thirty years. He finds solace in a unique book which he carries on his person and guards closely, while surviving by hunting small animals and seeking goods in destroyed houses and vehicles to trade in villages for water and supplies. When he reaches a village ruled by the powerful mobster, Carnegie (Gary Oldman), the man views Eli's impressive fighting skills and offers Eli a place within his gang. Carnegie presses his blind lover Claudia (Jennifer Beals) to send her daughter, Solara (Mila Kunis), to at least convince Eli to spend the night by sleeping with him. However, Eli proves to be the better man when he gently declines her advances. The girl sees Eli's book, and when Carnegie finds out he beats her mother until she reveals what she saw. Carnegie sends his gang into the wasteland to take the book from Eli, but the man proves to be a formidable...

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Plot Keywords:

blind | blindness | post apocalypse | book | cannibal | 

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Taglines:

Deliver us

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some brutal violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie didn't explicitly mention that the apocalypse was because of a nuclear war. Screenwriter Gary Whitta preferred to leave clues of the apocalypse instead. There are a few clues that indicate nuclear war, like the large bomb craters the characters are sometimes near.

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Goofs

The bodies of two dead men near a large cement pipe change places as Eli approaches.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Woman Hijacker: Please, don't hurt me. Here, take anything you want. You want some food? Take it.
Eli: I'm not gonna hurt you.
Young Woman Hijacker: Yeah? That's what the last guy said. Could... could you help me? The wheel came off. I can't fix it. Maybe if I... if I could... but I can't.
Eli: You know the only good thing about no soap... is that you can smell hijackers a mile off!

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Crazy Credits

Aside from the title, there are no opening credits.

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Alternate Versions

A montage of deleted scenes on the DVD include a scene where Claudia reads the Braille bible to Carnegie as he lies on his deathbed.

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Connections

References Hell's Angels (1930)

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Soundtracks

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
Written by Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb
Performed by Al Green
Courtesy of HI Records by arrangement with Fat Possum

User Reviews

Great movie

Hughes bro's are not trying to alter people's views on religion or any thing else. They simply made a great watchable apocalyptic movie with marvelous actors and credible story. Relax and give it the credit it deserves.

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Book of Eli

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque Studios - 5650 University Boulevard SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$80,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,789,494, 17 January 2010

Gross USA:

$94,835,059

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$157,107,755

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, Silver Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS (as dts)

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1