As if ‘Terminator Salvation’ and ‘The Road’ were not enough to offer a post apocalyptic decay for 2009; Hughes Brothers banded this time with Denzel spiritual awakening movies Washington to deliver another spiritually driven action flick ‘The Book of Eli. ‘ Now with Denzel Washington playing the lead, people have some kind of expectations from the movie, but there is nothing to create a real frenzy in the theaters. The 118 minute film renders some amount of excitement that you would expect from a full pumping action movie.
In ‘The Book of Eli’ Denzel stars as the title character Eli; whom you first meet him walking the grey and desolate road of the world that is left shattered and torn after nuclear warfare. The nuclear war left a big hole in the sky that enabled the sunlight to scorch the beautiful Earth. Eli is walking the road of the wasteland with some purpose and that purpose is to find his possession, a book. And the importance of the book becomes quite clear once you meet Gary Oldman. He is the evil Carnegie and lord of a small town in the middle of nowhere and he too is in search of that book which will enable him to control all of the wastelands unfortunate souls. And he knows how to gain it!
This is a highly spiritual movie of the year but due to some loopholes in the plot and direction the movie just couldn’t carry on with its intended magic with Denzel in it. It had opportunities to prove to be a fine movie but the lack of creating interest and suspense in the movie left it with a loose plot. The Hughes brothers could have worked little harder with script writer Gary Whitta and instead of making some grand statements; they should have told the story in a more interesting manner.
But there are some ups in the movie, especially the humor of Michael Gambon that comes quite late in the movie and the playful exchange of Tom Waits with Eli. The action in the movie is really good and you can enjoy the spine shaking shots. The mood is set quite right by the settings and picturesque locations created a world that is burnt by nature’s fury. The stark landscapes make one really think about the future of this world. Though there is nothing much to complain about in the film, it could have been a better entertainer had the few loopholes been filled in. Watch Denzel, as he is as solid as ever! Patrick Swayze received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the motion picture category on August 18, 1997, which was his 45th birthday. His long, distinguished, eclectic movie career included filming approximately thirty-eight movies–including five TV movies. In addition to the movies, he did two TV mini-series. Although it is very difficult to choose which movies I enjoy the most, here are my favorites. In the media–interviews including Barbara Walters Special Interview 1988, his 2009 autobiography, The time of My life, etc., Patrick Swayze said that he really felt for and identified with the character, Johnny in Dirty Dancing. I think that factor contributed significantly to propel such a real-life, amazing performance. His superb acting along with his sizzling dancing just really is phenomenal.
And if that is not enough, his song (co-written with Stacy Widelitz), “She’s Like the Wind” was just gorgeous in the movie and is still famously popular. He was a key collaborator with the writer, choreographers, and other cast members to make this movie that was made on a shoestring budget into a timeless classic. Without Patrick Swayze, I do not think that this movie would have been half as successful. Furthermore, his performance influenced countless men to think that it was OK to be a male and be a dancer. This movie is a labor of love made by real-life wife and husband, Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze. It is based on the 1984 stage production, Without a Word created and starred in by Lisa Niemi. Patrick Swayze, and Nicholas Gunn. Without a Word won six LA Drama Critic Awards and many requests were made for the stage play to be made into a movie. After many, many years of work, One last Dance premiered in Houston at the WorldFest Houston International Film Festival (which I had the thrill of attending). One Last Dance shows the inside world of dancers with the theme that it is never too late to realize your dreams. The dance scenes between Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze are absolutely gorgeous and reflect their true-life love for each other. Patrick Swayze performs two songs in the movie that Lisa Niemi and he wrote. George De La Pena and the “company” dancers are extraordinary.