The Book of Eli

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The Book of Eli

R

Released Jan 15, 2010

1h 52m

Adventure

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

207 Reviews

64%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Thirty years after war turned the world into a wasteland, a lone warrior named Eli (Denzel Washington) marches across the ruined landscape, carrying hope for humanity's redemption. Only one other man (Gary Oldman) understands the power of what Eli carries, and he is determined to take it for himself. Though Eli prefers peace, he will risk death to protect his precious cargo, for he must fulfill his destiny to help restore mankind.

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Critics Consensus

It's certainly uneven, and many viewers will find that its reach exceeds its grasp, but The Book of Eli finds the Hughes brothers injecting some fresh stylish fun into the kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland filmgoers have seen more than enough of lately.

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Ed Koch

The Atlantic

This picture is one big waste of time, including that of the actors and those in the audience who pay to see it.

Jan 16, 2018

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

The Book Of Eli is just one hot mess with choppy biblical undertones... The filmmakers just tried to get too deep with something that was not fully developed.

Rated: D+

Sep 11, 2017

Full Review

Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Post-apocalypse films are a dime a dozen, so what makes The Book of Eli so different? Not much, except an evangelical subplot that is not strong enough to be this film's savior.

Rated: 1.5/4

Nov 8, 2016

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The most admirable aspect of the production is its use of Washington in a samurai-esque role.

Rated: 2.5/4

Aug 25, 2023

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

A violent action spectacle. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 26, 2022

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Directors Albert and Allen Hughes lean into the allegorical elements, making it a badlands spaghetti western by way of a holy mission and a science fiction frontier thriller that embraces the possibility of miracles.

Mar 20, 2022

Full Review

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Kevin R

It's not for everyone. But is definitely for me. Dark Tower meets Equalizer in post-apocalyptic setting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

Chee V

I enjoyed the movie. Nothing too original in script except he is carrying a treasured biblical book to be delivered to it's rightful place -Post apocaIypse. I liked Denzil Washington in the part and his young female companion. . He was believable. Not bad for a theme that has been done to death. Reminded me a little of mad max. A good time killer. Worth a watch. .

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Poignant, intriguing and action-packed, The Book Of Eli is a faith-filled, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi thriller that fires on all cylinders! As faith-based films go, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better, more exciting, more interesting one than this. The Hughes Brothers have a great deal to say, yet never let off the action movie gas pedal for too long.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

Gg B

This film is haunting to me. Always 1 of the best

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

Full Review

William B

One of the best action movies that actually manages to have a good story and maintain brilliant performances

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/11/24

Full Review

Jerry J

Its better than most critics give it credit. Yes its based on religion buts its built on a universal principle of having faith and fulfilling a purpose in life.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/09/24

Full Review

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Allen Hughes

Director

Albert Hughes

Director

Denzel Washington

Eli

Gary Oldman

Carnegie

Mila Kunis

Solara

Ray Stevenson

Redridge

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Synopsis

Thirty years after war turned the world into a wasteland, a lone warrior named Eli (Denzel Washington) marches across the ruined landscape, carrying hope for humanity's redemption. Only one other man (Gary Oldman) understands the power of what Eli carries, and he is determined to take it for himself. Though Eli prefers peace, he will risk death to protect his precious cargo, for he must fulfill his destiny to help restore mankind.

Director: Allen Hughes, Albert Hughes
Producer: Joel Silver, Denzel Washington, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, David Valdes
Screenwriter: Gary Whitta
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Silver Pictures
Rating: R (Some Brutal Violence|Language)
Genre: Adventure, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 15, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $94.8M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS

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