Movie review: Denzel makes statement of faith in 'Book of Eli'

Although it's a post-apocalyptic science fiction film, "The Book of Eli" plays like a Western, offering one of that genre's bread-and-butter plot lines: a good guy loner standing up to a pack of bad guys.

It's also a morality tale with a lesson about faith that may surprise Denzel Washington fans unaware of his religious convictions.

Washington (who also produced) portrays Eli, who is walking across a post-apocalyptic America on a divine mission. In his backpack he carries the only known copy of the Bible. He believes God has told him to take it to the West Coast.

That's obviously going to cause a lot of eye-rolling in theaters everywhere. But at the very least, Washington (and directors Albert and Allen Hughes) deserve credit for making an earnest movie about faith and hope in age dominated by irony and snark.

Considered only in the context of its genre, "The Book of Eli" is a serviceable post-apocalyptic film, although coming just after "The Road," it's going to feel a bit familiar.

The opening scene establishes the movie's visual palette, which ranges between brown and gray. Eli kills a cat for dinner (and to make "fresh cat oil") and then walks a highway lined with abandoned, rusted cars. Buildings and homes are vacant, half in ruin. America, we later learn, was devastated in a war 30 years ago. Before the war, Eli says, people "had more than they needed … they threw things away that we kill each other over now." Things like water, food and shelter. And, as it turns out, the Bible.

All Bibles were destroyed because many thought religion had caused the war. Now Eli is close to getting his copy to the coast and he's fought many to get this far (several scenes show his expert skills with knife and shotgun). The path, though, is blocked now by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man who wants the book (he calls it "a weapon") so he can control people. Eli T soon is joined on his quest by Solara (Mila Kunis), the daughter of a blind woman (Jennifer Beals) who Carnegie holds captive.

Although the message of faith is hammered home — really, really hammered home, the movie contains excellent (and very bloody) action sequences and to-be-expected good performances by Washington and Oldman (the latter in full-on villain mode).

Washington clearly wanted to be involved with a film with a Christian message. It'll be interesting to see how that resonates with his fans.