A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.A drifter fights his way across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book that holds the secrets to humanity's salvation.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 16 nominations
- Martha
- (as Frances De La Tour)
- Hijacker
- (as Keith Davis)
- Hijacker
- (as Don Theerathada)
- Hijacker
- (as Thom Williams)
- Young Woman Hijacker
- (as Lora Martinez Cunningham)
- Directors
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDenzel Washington performed all of his own stunts in the hand-to-hand fight sequences.
- GoofsA wind-up record player would run at 78 rpm - too fast for a 70s disco single and way too fast for a 70s LP. Also, the needle would almost certainly gouge the record rather than follow the vibrations in the groove.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Eli: Dear Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path. And for keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost. Thank you for your protection and your many signs along the way. Thank you for any good that I may have done, I'm so sorry about the bad. Thank you for the friend I made. Please watch over her as you watched over me. Thank you for finally allowing me to rest. I'm so very tired, but I go now to my rest at peace. Knowing that I have done right with my time on this earth. I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith.
- Crazy creditsAside from the title, there are no opening credits.
- Alternate versionsA montage of deleted scenes on the DVD include a scene where Claudia reads the Braille bible to Carnegie as he lies on his deathbed.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: The Ugly Truth/G-Force/Orphan (2009)
- SoundtracksHow Can You Mend A Broken Heart
Written by Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb
Performed by Al Green
Courtesy of HI Records by arrangement with Fat Possum
Always moving west, Eli is a loner on the road. Like everyone out there he knows it's a very dangerous place. He kills animals for food and gets clean water where he can. When set upon by hijackers but Eli is a ferocious fighter and thus far has come out on top. One day he wanders into a small town run by Carnegie, a determined man who has been sending out men in search of a particular book, the very one Eli has in his possession. Carnegie has a mother and daughter, Claudia and Solara in his entourage, Claudia was blind from birth, but Solara is sighted. In trying to persuade Eli to stay, as he can see the value of a man who can fight like him, he sends Solara to his room and she discovers the book. Carnegie finds out about the book and sends his henchman, Redridge to get it but Eli has already gone. Eli starts heading west again only to find Solara following him. Redridge wants Solara and makes a deal with Carnegie to get the book in exchange for her. And now the chase is on, will Eli and Solara escape or will they be caught? I think that's enough for now This film was shot in a similar way to 300 (2006) with a kind of washed out comic book feel to it and, for me, it looked a bit too artificial in places. A lot of the landscapes were CGI which didn't come over too well on TV. Great performances from all of the leading cast, Denzel Washington as Eli, Gary Oldman as Carnegie, Mila Kunis as Solara, Ray Stevenson as Redridge and Jennifer Beals as Claudia. Honourable mentions also go to Frances de la Tour and Michael Gambon as Martha and George, a mad old couple who Eli and Solara find on their travels.
Although it's a fairly straightforward story I found it a very entertaining and compelling film to watch, the 107 minutes went by pretty quickly, which is always a good sign. It did get a bit bogged down in the middle, but redeemed itself with a totally unexpected twist at the end. Don't worry; I'm not going give that away here. Also a haunting soundtrack backs up the visuals to great effect. Over all, although it's not been well received everywhere and although not perfect, it's a good effort Recommended.
My score: 7.3/10
- ajs-10
- Jan 15, 2011
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $80,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $94,835,059
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $32,789,494
- Jan 17, 2010
- Gross worldwide
- $157,107,755
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1