Is ‘The Book of Eli’ anti-Christian?

In the post-apocalyptic biblical thriller "The Book of Eli," Denzel Washington plays a blind man who feels he's been called by God to carry the last remaining copy of the Bible across the country. Is "The Book of Eli" an engrossing tale about the power of faith or a cartoonish, exploitative distortion of Christianity? (Watch "The Book of Eli" movie trailer)

This is a gripping God 'n' guns hit: "The Book of Eli" is a boon for believers, says John Nolte in Breitbart’s Big Hollywood. It’s not a "hyper-reverent snoozer" like "The Blind Side," but an action-packed hit for God lovers. This movie is long-awaited proof that the "Pagans of the Pacific" are capable of creating films Christians want to watch.

"'Book of Eli' delivers God, guns, and guts"

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

But there's more violence than values: Devout filmgoers will soon realize that "the brand of Christianity on display in 'Eli' is as warped as they come," says S.E. Cupp in the New York Daily News. Washington’s character is a "crusader" who defends the Bible by "beheading, stabbing, shooting and head-butting" anyone who gets in his way. Only "violent, fundamentalist" Christians will relate to this "Hollywood caricature."

"How Hollywood begat another insult to Christianity"

The movie's strange agenda ultimately fails: Those hoping for an action thriller with "a little bit of Christianity" are unlikely to be "satisfied" by the Book of Eli, says Josh Tyler at Cinemablend. The movie uses "empty religious propaganda" as a "clumsy" plot device. The end result is a "meaningless" film that insults both the faith of true believers — and the intelligence of secular filmgoers.

"'The Book of Eli' movie review"