The Book of Eli

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The Book of Eli

R

2010

1h 52m

Adventure

Action

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

46%

Tomatometer

206 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

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

01/16/2018

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

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/11/2017

D+

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.

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

11/08/2016

1.5/4

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.

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Sharai Bohannon

A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast

05/23/2025

2/5

This is too predictable and unfun to be worth most of these actors time. Denzel Washington gives a performance worth noting, but it's not enough to save the movie from itself.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

08/25/2023

2.5/4

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

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

10/26/2022

A violent action spectacle. [Full review in Spanish]

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Toxicnukem T

@Toxicnukem 1d

I have a soft spot for apocalyptic movies and this definitely hits the spot. the end was very rewarding.

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Emerson F

@emersonfs1980 2d

A visceral post-apocalyptic film with spectacular desaturated cinematography and great action, though the final twist demands an extra dose of suspension of disbelief and Gary Oldman's villain borders on caricaturish. The feeling watching it at home was a deep reflection on the future of humanity and the power of faith; it encouraged me to memorize and keep the words of the Bible in my mind and heart, knowing that is the one place where no one can take them from me, leaving a strong wish to have experienced it in a theater.

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Claudio C

@Claudio666 Jul 10

The Book of Eli (2010) Mad Max, Fahrenheit 451 and Blind Fury Together (12,559 – 12 Jun 2010 / 09 Jul 2026 – Claudio Carvalho) "The Book of Eli" (2010) is an adventure post-apocalyptic fiction film that blends the environment of "Mad Max" with the concept of memorializing a book of "Fahrenheit 451" and a blind hero that recalls Hutger Hauer in "Blind Fury". The story is entertaining, but the plot is too religious. There are many flaws like, for example, Solara cannot read but is skilled in driving a car in a world without cars; Eli is shot in the stomach but is able to walk and row a boat to Alcatraz. Denzel Washington is always excellent, but Gary Oldman has a disappointing histrionic performance. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "O Livro de Eli" ("The Book of Eli")

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Kaleb W.

@RT71343025 Jun 23

“I know who you are, murder, of innocent travelers on the road”

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Her M

@Hermommy Jun 19

Maybe the critics of this film suffer from the condition that plagues the lead character....clearly you did not see how amazing this movie was,and that's sad.

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Oscar T

@ScarfaceRampage Jun 2

One of the best apocalypse movies ever and really shines a light on how religion is used to control society

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Allen Hughes

Director

Albert Hughes

Director

Denzel Washington

Eli

Gary Oldman

Carnegie

Mila Kunis

Solara

Ray Stevenson

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Synopsis

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