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The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli

Action · Thriller · Science Fiction · 2010

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

Movie details

The Book of Eli

“Some will kill to have it. He will kill to protect it.”

2010 Action · Thriller · Science Fiction 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Book of Eli?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Running Man

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Looper

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The Terminator

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Doomsday

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Action · 2008

The lethal Reaper virus spreads throughout Britain—infecting millions and killing hundreds of thousands. Authorities brutally and successfully quarantine the country but, three decades later, the virus resurfaces in a major city. An elite group of specialists is urgently dispatched into the still-quarantined country to retrieve a cure by any means necessary. Shut off from the rest of the world, the unit must battle through a landscape that has become a waking nightmare.

Mad Max: Fury Road

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The Hunt

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The Purge: Election Year

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Action · 2016

Two years after choosing not to kill the man who killed his son, former police sergeant Leo Barnes has become head of security for Senator Charlene Roan, the front runner in the next Presidential election due to her vow to eliminate the Purge. On the night of what should be the final Purge, a betrayal from within the government forces Barnes and Roan out onto the street where they must fight to survive the night.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Albert Hughes · Allen Hughes

Written by

Gary Whitta

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington

Eli

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman

Carnegie

Mila Kunis

Mila Kunis

Solara

Ray Stevenson

Ray Stevenson

Redridge

Jennifer Beals

Jennifer Beals

Claudia

Michael Gambon

Michael Gambon

George

Tom Waits

Tom Waits

Engineer

Court is in session

Put The Book of Eli on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Auteur Devotee

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.