It seems film makers are obsessed with the end of the world these days. Maybe with the stagnant economy folks like to see an even bleaker future than their own. If The Road was dark and colorless, then The Book of Eli is just black, and that’s not referring to Denzel Washington’s skin color. If Viggo had run into Denzel on the road, then maybe The Road would have been more entertaining. In this film Denzel is the drifter on a quest. He carries a book and his mission is to deliver it to some unknown enclave of humanity to the west. He is one badass road warrior and demonstrates it throughout the movie. He’s Rambo, Jason Bourne and Shaft all wrapped up in one. Gary Oldman is the villain and you can hardly find one better. His trademark psychotic laugh tells the story. He knows the power of the book. With the right words, he can takeover what little pockets of society remain. One man is ruthless, one might be called righteous and together that makes for conflict which advances the story along. The visuals are stark, nothing you haven’t seen before, color is deliberately muted or filtered. There may be a twist you didn’t expect or maybe you saw it early on. Denzel makes the movie because you believe his character even in an unbelievable time and place. The parables poor forth and you can pick them out yourself. Without Denzel’s performance, this would be just another end of civilization story like the the half dozen others this past year, but he and Gary Oldman carry it a cut above the standard fare and I thought it a rather enjoyable film and story.