There has not been a shortage of post-apocalyptic media, including films, recently. The Book of Eli, therefore, has the difficult task of standing out. The main distinguishing feature of the movie is the overtly religious element; and while it does provide an interesting element in the film, it seems to fall slightly short of wowing both the thrill-seeking, and more thoughtful audiences.

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The main character, Eli (played by Denzel Washington), is a traveller in a desolate , post-Nuclear War North America. He is heading West on foot, showing amazing survival skills both in hunting/gathering, and in combat situations. He regularly reads a book which has a cross on the cover, and his only companion is an iPod. This is until he arrives in a town run by Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who seeks that specific book for unknown reasons, and is willing to kill many people to get it. After Eli has dinner with Solara (Mila Kunis), sent by Carnegie to seduce him, Solara reluctantly reveals to Carnegie that Eli has the book, and Carnegie sets out to kill Eli, and take the book away from him.

The movie has several interesting features, mainly connected to the religious imagery. Eli himself appears to be very literally protected by God as long as he holds the Bible. Solara joins him as an apostle. Eli is bringing the word of God West. The landscape itself recalls a Biblical desert. All of these elements, however, appear to be something of an afterthought by writer Gary Whitta. The place it becomes truly interesting is in Gary Oldman's character, whose obsession with finding the last copy of the Bible comes off as genuinely interesting. The main curiosity of the film is that the object of contention, the prize, is a Bible. The villain, therefore, is after the hearts and minds of people, looking to unite a broken land. Granted, he does this for personal power and glory, and his means are deplorable, but ultimately he seems more of a pathetic character than a villain. Gary Oldman steals the film in that respect.

Denzel Washington, the other veteran actor in the film, is always competent. If it's possible to criticize or even question his ability or performance here, it's his occasionally peculiar choices. The character appears to be tired, road-weary. While this may lend for an interesting character sometimes, the problem is that the character is written more as a western character, not a preacher, despite the imagery. Mila Kunis seems unsure and weak in the role. While this is almost certainly due to the fact that she is playing next to far more experienced actors, it ultimately seems that the role should perhaps have gone to a different actress. There is much potential in the character and it is a shame that Kunis could not do a more interesting portrayal.

The direction by the Hughes brothers is strongly confident and intriguingly removed. Except for the first few scenes, there are no overly dramatic shots. The focus is the story, rather the visuals, as is so often the case. This is certainly an interesting choice, allowing the viewer to forget one is watching a movie. This doesn't stop them, however, from making their homage to Sergio Leone in a recurrent musical theme being whistled by a character.

Ultimately, the film is enjoyable, and there is enough content to make it somewhat interesting, but due to flaws both in writing and acting, it falls short.