Denzel Washington is solid as an aging man on a solo mission for the future of humanity… a strong story, with good cast, good visuals, but slightly predictable.

Its a bleak look at a post apocalyptic future where water, sunglasses, hand wipes, and chapstick have become valuable commodities… its a movie that is really good for its genre… dark and entertaining… but not great overall… and not for all audiences.

The warning: some of the scenes/concepts in this movie may be troubling for some audiences (cat death/brutal fights).
  

(My spoiler-free review)

The visuals of this movie set the miserable, desolate environment for the U.S. – some 30+ years in the future… there’s a lot of dramatic destruction – broken freeways, crumbling buildings, bomb craters dotting the desolate landscape, dried up rivers… highlighted by a palette of colors that are mostly brown, gray, and yellow.

Denzel’s ‘Eli’ is a bad a** hand-to-hand combatant who fights and quotes scripture… facing off against  road vehicles and bad guys reminiscent of “Mad Max” (1979).

But this is memorably different from other post apocalyptic movies like ”Mad Max” (1979) – which has more action and “I Am Legend” (2007) – which relied heavily on effects… because of a deeper story and stronger supporting cast to the main character.

“The Book of Eli” doesn’t over explain things – sometimes just visual cues or short lines of dialogue – like why his quest is so important – why people would kill for what he’s carrying, why the environment is so desolate, that bargaining of supplies and commodities are the currency.   The road scavengers are ruthless hijackers looking for anything useful to trade for more important things like water and other supplies.

I still need to see “The Road” (2009), but for my money, “The Book of Eli” may be one of the best post apocalyptic movies I’ve seen in years.

BUT…. outside of this genre…. its not one of the best movies I’ve seen because it has several flaws and creates some confusion and questions – even for this engaged audience member.   Gary Oldman is convincing as the bad guy, but he’s a little over-the-top in the last third of the movie. 

The opening scenes draw you in, but the sense of time is confusing… is this the same day.. or a longer timespan?  While it is massive and expansive, some of the destruction that Eli walks past seemed a little too much like a set piece.

( possible minor spoilers next )

Some of the things that could have used more explanation to ease my troubles: many characters are wearing lightly used/brand new sunglasses… which is odd in a dusty world of dirty, tattered clothes, and damaged goods that are the targets of scavengers.  How could an item that’s very fragile be so perfect and clean?

Also – the bad guys have motorcycles and trucks and cars… but in a world with very little water … where the source of the water is explained… where does all the fuel come from for their gas powered vehicles?   We can guess that it was salvaged from all the cars that were abandonded along the roads… or Carnegie’s community has an old gas tank… one simple scene or shot could have explained this away.

BOTTOM LINE:   (more…)

Movies are meant to be an entertaining escape right?    Well, unless you are a subway/transportation worker, police officer, or criminal… “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ fits the bill, even if its not great… its good… although it is a remake of the 1974 movie “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”.

This updated and modernized high-tech version, “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ is an intense thrill ride.. Denzel Washington and John Travolta are great adversaries.

I hate to keep repeating this, but its still worth saying: this movie is rated “R” for a reason… but I continue to see parents bringing babies and very young kids to these movies.  FYI…. I always include the ratings (and the reason for the rating) below.

Let’s cut to the chase, this movie isn’t going to win any main category Oscars… but for what it is: an action thriller… its good.

Now some will say that Denzel is playing a character we’ve seen him play before… an awkward anti-hero who is forced to save the day “Deja Vu” (2006) and “John Q” (2002)… and John Travolta is playing that slightly over-the-top maniacal villain he’s played before “The Punisher” (2004), ”Swordfish” (2001), “Face/Off” (1997)… but for me, that’s okay, because they are really good at it and it makes it easier o route for and against their characters.

The movie doesn’t take long to get into the main plot, the slick opening title sequence establishes the main characters and its quick camera movements and rough cuts establish the busy chaos of the subway and the work of a control center dispatcher.

The movie successfully establishes the characters, along with the scene, the feel and the very different parallels of the two opposing characters and the little worlds they are in…. then it slowly twists your perspective and adds more layers to the plot, characters, and their situations…. to keep you guessing before bringing the movie to its conclusion.

In this tense thriller, there is also some much-needed comic relief from James Gandolfini (playing the Mayor), and Washington and Travolta deliver some lines that bring a smile to your face.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″ is gritty and edgy, its realistic and keeps the audience busy with multiple issues going on at the same time with the good guys, the bad guys, and the hostages.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

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 Here’s another summer movie I’m looking forward to: “The Taking of Pelham 123″, a remake of the 1974 movie, this one starring Denzel Washington, John Travolta, John Turturro, and James Gandolfini.

Scheduled release: Friday, June 12th

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER THROUGH THIS LINK

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