Denzel Washington really can do it all. Even in a project like this year’s Gladiator II, he’s standing above massive names. His decades of experience in the industry give him the cache he needs to do whatever he wants. Washington isn’t the usual action star, but he’s dominated a huge selection of subgenres. Years before he became a gunslinger in The Magnificent Seven or an equalizer in The Equalizer, Washington carried The Book of Eli.
The Book of Eli is, to date, the last collaboration of the Hughes brothers. Allen and Albert Hughes combined their talents to craft Menace II Society, but they never quite recaptured that success. Individually, Allen has settled into a rhythm with a couple of great music documentaries. Albert has been a little more varied, nailing down a couple of episodes of shows like The Good Lord Bird and The Continental. They’re doing good work on their own, but they could still come together again.
Denzel Washington Carries The Book of Eli to Streaming Success
If you want to see Denzel Washington explore a Fallout game, The Book of Eli is the film you’ve been waiting for. Washington stars as the titular Eli, a wandering wasteland warrior who is incredible at everything. He’s a born survivor who can also beat dozens of men in combat and speak mostly in weighty one-liners. His home is a standard nuclear post-apocalypse. Warlords have claimed dominion over the former United States, but Eli intends to stroll through their territories to reach the west coast. He pursues this mission with the goal of delivering a mysterious book to a safe place. The mystery isn’t important, and the book contains pretty much what you’re expecting. Instead, the film sells itself on a solid, stoic performance from Washington and a few very compelling scenes. It’s far from perfect, but it’s a better watch now that the post-apocalypse craze is less prominent.
The Book of Eli was no smash hit. It hit the screen in January 2010, placing it against Avatar, which seemed to stay in theaters for a decade. Even though it was practically the only new release of the week, Avatar pushed it out of the top spot. Denzel Washington has been a big star for decades, but 2010 wasn’t his best year. Eli earned $157.1 million on its $80 million budget. That’s certainly a profit, but conventional wisdom suggests doubling that initial production figure to account for marketing. By those numbers, the film may not have pleased Warner Bros. Critics were no kinder to it, offering the film a 47% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes. That mild reaction ignored a small contingent of viewers who consider it an underrated masterpiece.
The Book of Eli rode Denzel Washington’s fame to a mild critical and commercial reputation. There has been some talk of a potential follow-up. That could still emerge, as producers are still shopping around a prequel TV show. If a boom in streaming success was the moment they were waiting for, they should strike while they have the chance. The Book of Eli may be a familiar read, but it’s still worth remembering.
