The Book of Eli (2010)
I walk by faith, not by sight.
THE SUMMARY: A mysterious loner walks westward through post-nuclear war devastation and depravity to deliver the word of God to safety. Absent a few nit-picky points, the movie’s big themes are as big as they get: truth, faith, and man’s attempt to usurp God himself. It’s philosophically compelling, visually and artistically unique, and probably only a few years off from reality. Make sure to charge your iPod.
Movie-picker Matt has opted out of commentary, but we thank him for his nominations.
JAMIE AND JEANNE’S AI FACESWAP ART:
The ATF is here and we are ready for the Waco sequel.
Transcribing a hate letter to send to someone deserving.
Don’t miss the hand sign at the end.
THE BEST:
To walk by sight versus to walk by faith: The discussions on faith are where Eli shines most. Two of Eli’s dialogues with Solara in particular: explaining the voice that compelled his journey westward, and explaining what it means to walk by faith instead of walk by sight. The discussion on the voice is an experience I have certainly had personally. I wouldn’t describe it as a voice speaking to me like a fellow person would - it’s more like a force that compels me to action in completely clear terms, without verbal explanation. Everything I’ve done in my life that matters - quitting my old job to go into business for myself, which led me to my wife, who led me to my sons, who led me to a new home, which will lead me wherever I’m supposed to go in the future - all of those things happened because an unexplainable force compelled me to make them happen. Many of them didn’t make rational sense at the time (especially quitting my old safe job). But a mysterious force told me to do it, insistently, and that force was right. This is the force that has led me in my pursuit of God himself, because I have no better explanation for what this force is otherwise.
The struggle for me is to connect my certainty that this force exists, with certainty about what exactly it is. But Eli explains the solution to that problem well too, saying this is the difference between walking by sight and walking by faith. Faith is to know something, even if you don’t know something, he says. That explanation is likely unsatisfying to those who only believe in that which can be absolutely proven, including my former self. Yet whether it’s God or something less important, we all believe in such things. We all believe in things we can’t necessarily prove. It’s just a question of what, and whether that thing is worth believing in or not. Because the alternative is clearly unacceptable - to believe in nothing is to be void of purpose, and guaranteed misery.
Avoid distraction, even when difficult: Early in the movie, Eli witnesses an attack from afar. Rather than intervene, at least at that time, he reminds himself, ‘stay on the path - it’s not your concern.’ This is an incredibly important moment, for two reasons: 1) it’s a reminder to avoid distractions, whether they are temptations of vice, or in this case, an urge to intervene in somebody else’s business, even if you’d be morally right to do so. But 2) later at the bar, Eli is confronted by one of these attackers, and exerts his dominance at the proper time.
The lesson? Stay focused on your own path, and make sure it’s proper. Where you see distraction from that path, have faith it will get resolved at the appropriate time, and be ready for when it enters your path directly.
I know this philosophy has limitations. To say we should never intervene with injustice is to allow injustice to some degree, granted. I just think this scene is a great demonstration of the rule, not the exception: focus on your own path. When yours is completed, at that point you can help others best.
A life of luxury requires reality checks: In another great Eli-Solara dialogue, Eli explains what the ‘old world’ was like, pre-apocalypse. As in, the world we’re in right now. He says ‘people had more than they needed. They had no idea what was precious, what wasn’t.’ Now of course I’m not making some commie nonsense point about greed or something - the important point is that when life is too easy, we forget what’s important, and we fall for the illusion that the amazing prosperity we have now is the norm, not the anomaly. The natural world without human technology is a brutal place. ln very short order, we could return to it if modern conveniences suddenly stop production. It doesn’t mean we give up all the awesome stuff. It means we recognize, every day, that it could all go away, so we prioritize what’s important: our families, and our ability to preserve their survival if we had to.
Expanding on the point, we’re so comfortable now we’ve forgotten what’s most precious: life itself. When Eli mentions throwing away valuable things without concern, I think of the way we treat life today. There’s a whole industry built on throwing away the most valuable thing on Earth.
God’s absence allows the corrupt to rule: The central theme of the movie is that corrupt powers will not allow God’s word through the Bible to be distributed, because it threatens their power. If the peasants know of a higher power through which their life has purpose, they might start to question the legitimacy of their ‘rulers.’ I understand not everyone is faithful to the Bible - I myself am in a long journey to understand it, and that journey includes many questions. But always recognize those who are overtly hostile to God. Not just the being, but the concept. People who insist that you reject him, or try to obstruct you from finding him. They are revealing themselves as enemies.
Cool color palette: I gather this movie’s color grading was controversial: a very desaturated and a high-contrast sepia look. It’s nearly black and white, with just muted colors in the mix. Some may find it distracting. I love it. Not just visually, but metaphorically. The times are dark and ominous, but there are shades of colorful optimism if you look closely. It’s a beautiful look.
Listen when the voice compels you.
We don’t now what’s precious.
‘Where’s your protection now?’ - that’s the point.
THE WORST:
Eli is a superhero, but that makes sense in the premise: This isn’t a criticism I hold, but it’s one I could see someone making: Eli is effectively a superhero. We learn late that he’s blind, but he’s chopping off hands with remarkable reflex speed, making miracle gunshots, and just all around dominating everyone in combat despite his disability. Not only that, but he’s navigating a hostile landscape, well… totally blind.
It’s preposterous in normal human terms, of course, but within the premise that he’s guided and protected by God, it’s exaggeration for a point beyond just entertainment. Embrace God and his path for you, and you too will enjoy guidance and protection beyond what seems possible.
Muh empowered woman ending: I get it - Solara is continuing Eli’s legacy. Without an heir, someone must preserve his spirit, his purpose, blah blah blah. I just think it’s a little silly that an attractive young woman, who already almost got raped, is gonna voluntarily walk back out into the rape arena, alone. Hopefully God’s protection is transferrable, because she’s gonna need it, even more than Eli did. At least next time the rapists come for her, she has a sharp dick chopper.
Product placement: It’s not the worst I’ve ever seen, but it is distracting and kind of silly in an apocalypse world. Apple, KFC, Puma, Kmart (RIP), Motorola, Busch, GMC, and more - they all got in on the action. Actually, maybe it’s totally realistic that Denzel has a large supply of KFC wipes… (ba-dum tiss). I already paid to watch the movie. I shouldn’t be paying through advertising too.
Maybe a little too heroic?
She’s off to go get graped again.
THE RATING: 5/5 Wickies. The movie is excellent on its main points: truth, faith, and the role of God in the lives of men. Plus it was fun to see San Francisco in the ruins it deserves.
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DISCUSS OR REVIEW THE MOVIE WITH OTHER LISTENERS: Check out the dedicated channel on the community Discord server.
NEXT WEEK: Toy Story (1995). Toy Story is a random selection from the IMDb top-250 list, after the nominations were rejected in last week’s vote.
NO NEXT MOVIE VOTE THIS WEEK: For Easter Sunday, March 31, we will watch and review The Passion of the Christ. Audience vote on April movies will begin with next week’s review.
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