By Drew Platt
*** out of four

The Book of Eli balances religion and ultra-violence in a way that few films are able to. You might be thinking to yourself, “Hasn’t religion and violence gone hand in hand from the crusades all the way up until the inquisition?” Yes, this is a fact that the Hughes brothers (Menace to Society, From Hell) understand all too well. This post-apocalyptic action flick follows the journeys of Eli (Denzel Washington) as he travels to the West Coast with the last Bible known to man. When Eli arrives in a barren town to get some fresh water he attracts the attention of Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a sociopathic, self-appointed sheriff who sends out motorcycle gangs to rape and pillage until they find a Bible. This film is strange due to the fact that you can take two completely different messages from it. One message is pulled from Oldman’s character that says he needs the Bible to use as a weapon and that the idea of religion is used to mindlessly herd the unintelligent masses. However Eli’s journey and the lengths he will go to to protect the last hope for mankind makes the viewer feel that one’s belief in God is positive when it helps the individual overcome impossible odds. Whichever way you feel about the film’s religious views, it’s still a badass action flick with guns and machetes.