In the movies with Phlip -- The Book of Eli

Yes, I have been to the movies more in the 15+ months I have been with The Katie than I did in all of the 5 years prior.
That being said, my mind was made when we went to see Sherlock Holmes a couple weeks ago that the next movie we would see would be The Book of Eli. Those that know me know that I am a homer for Denzel Washington and Samuel L Jackson movies. This movie stars Denzel in a role that is absou-fucking-lutely DYNAMIC. I mean that in that the idea of what it is he is in this movie changes with the goings on in the movie.

The movie starts in what appears to be a post-apocalyptic United States with some ass-kicking and killage, so I was all for this one. Sure, there was some gore and I am more than sure that the hair up PETA's ass will be inflamed and will become a boil for what happened here.
We have Denzel protecting a book as he makes a journey -- driven by faith -- to "the west" on what is revealed to be a mission from God.
To avoid fucking the story up for you, I will leave out the gory details, as there is not a terrible lot to the UNFOLDING of the story as there is the details in the delivering of it. Yes, there are times where one MUST suspend disbelief -- specifically as to the as-observed fuel mileage of a 30+ year-old just rolled-over Chevrolet Suburban and later in the moment of the movie that hits those who understand the tenets of faith like a ton of bricks -- but never is it such that the story does not make sense to anyone who can remember what happened 30 minutes prior. Movie checked in at a hair under 2 hours, so please pay attention.
My only issue was disconnecting Meg Griffin from Mila Kunis as well as accepting that her exposed titties in Forgetting Sarah Marshall were a photoshop for the better part of half of this movie.
Yes, hacking people up with machetes is fucking ILL. Yes, SURGICALLY undoing the old guy's goons with as few shots as possible was fucking beautimous. Taking out food with a bow and arrow was great.

To be 100% frank with you, seeing 'The Hughes Brothers' name appended to this in the closing credits, I was fucking SHOCKED. This, as a story and cinematic presentation, was beyond Allen and Albert Hughes' realm of ability in my opinion. To tie it together for you, this would be the same Hughes Brothers who brought us Menace II Society, Dead Presidents and American Pimp. Now, if you cannot fathom why a movie of this depth would strike me as a bit beyond their abilities, I invite you to close this window and never return to my blog.
It is unfortunate that I cannot go in on this movie as I did with Sherlock Holmes without totally spoiling the movie. I will offer that it is a story that needs your attention, so please refrain from smoking the reefers or drinking before going to the movie. With your undivided and well-deserved attention given to the movie, you're greeted to a great piece of work. The action of it all, the dialog/interaction between the characters and the fit/finish of it all serves to keep you in the game. The dénouement makes the already considerably attention-grabbing movie even more worth it, as it demands that you think back to the events of the movie, tying together what SHOULD be a suspension of disbelief, but also explaining nuances on actions taken by the protagonist over the course of the movie, with plausibility serving to bridge the gap.
The book in question is the last copy of The Bible on the planet. You will have to watch the movie to see how this situation came to be.

All that said, I HIGHLY recommend this movie to you folks.
Those among us who are ignorant to the point of "ooh, they talkin about God stuff, this SUCKS!!!" and subsequently ignoring the cinematic presentation placed before them will deserve to miss the movie, even if they sit to the end while allowing a rather childish hangup to ruin their experience. Approaching this as the tale of faith that it is and remaining objective makes for a wonderful movie experience. I would GLADLY pay to see this movie again. That being said, the DVD will be a surefire purchase.

Dunno what we're going to see next, stick with us.

Comments

Tony Grands said…
Thank you for reviewing this piece. I love Denzel (fuck a pause-man crush!).

Funny you mention the childish, close-minded religious babble. Already had a couple of those convo's, where it was obvious that the person wasn't able to grasp the difference between fact or fiction, let alone religion & faith.

Good shit, Phlip. Definitely seeing this one.
Kousen Tora said…
As soon as I can get some cash and some time, I will go see this.
Yeah man, I didn't want to play spoiler either. People have to see this movie.

$yk

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