The Book of Eli

[allBthere]

Re: The Book of Eli

Yeah, its not like Denzel's performance is leaps and bounds above everyone else's. I would say Oldman's is just as good.

Oldman's easily for me one of the greatest actors of all time. He's just incredible. His little bit in true romance is an absolute classic to me (and easily among my top 5 movies ever).

Denzel I'm luke warm on, he's in really great stuff and some pretty bad stuff too. For example man on fire, or something like that is a crap movie.

This movie was quite good. I would actually like to see a sort of hybrid of this and the Road. If those movies were to combine their strengths it would be an all-time great. As it stands now, they are both very good films.

[allBthere]

Re: The Book of Eli

The guy was blind man.

I'm going to watch again, but don't see how that was remotely obvious to anyone. When he was locked up he know exactly where everything was...in fact to my recollection he didn't do ANYTHING that blind people do.

What made you think he was blind? Forget the brail bible for a second, I want to know if anyone saw anything in the movie that implied he was blind.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: The Book of Eli

I haven't seen the film since the theater, so I can't point to any specific scenes, but I'm pretty sure the consensus was that Eli was blind.

[Defel]

Re: The Book of Eli

In the beginning, Eli actually feels his way around that house like a blind man. Right before finding the body, I remember him very clumsily bumping into a chair and the screech of the wood scraping against the floor was very audible and possibly amplified. Things don't get put into movies like that without reason so I thought it was odd at the time. I think they abandoned showing hints like that the rest of the movie as it would have just looked like Denzel was unwell on set.

Also, after he finds the braille, Gary Oldman says something like, "No! He can't be!" While the villain certainly wouldn't know whether Eli was blind or not, again, things like that aren't put into a movie's climax for no reason.

[Kanobi]

Re: The Book of Eli

Anybody doubting his blindness - rewatch the gunfight. He only aims and shoots after being shot at and hearing from which direction the shot came from. Also, when him and solara were walking along the road, he used his earing to shoot the bird out of the sky. Lastly, when they arrived at the cannibals house...the cannibals said "No Trespassing. Didn't you see the sign?" and Eli replies "Sorry I didn't see that". The hints that he's blind are very sublte and well done.

[chicubsfan20]

Re: The Book of Eli

Anybody doubting his blindness - rewatch the gunfight. He only aims and shoots after being shot at and hearing from which direction the shot came from. Also, when him and solara were walking along the road, he used his earing to shoot the bird out of the sky. Lastly, when they arrived at the cannibals house...the cannibals said "No Trespassing. Didn't you see the sign?" and Eli replies "Sorry I didn't see that". The hints that he's blind are very sublte and well done.

This. I was getting a feeling he was blind while watching the movie, but I thought there was no way. After the ending with the book, I realized he was blind and I couldn't believe it.

[DakkoN]

Re: The Book of Eli

I'm going to watch again, but don't see how that was remotely obvious to anyone.

Seriously? LOL. The obvious one is that the camera even zooms in on his eyes and they are whited out with blindness, I believe in the part where he first starts quoting Genesis to the archives guy.

Everything in the entire movie has to do with recognizing stuff by sound. He knew how to get to songs on his iPod by the click sound the scroll wheel makes. He knew the battery was dead because it wouldn't click anymore. The gunfight in the street, he never shot at a guy until he was shot at and heard the sound. He shoots the crows with his bow by the sounds they are making. At the beginning of the movie, he shoots the animal in the woods with his bow when he hears it step in the leaves. He heard the cannibal shaking the plates and that's how he knew she had the shaking disease. Everything in that movie that he does was done by sound and other senses.

He knew he was going west because the sun rises in the East and sets in the west, which is just a generalization and not literal. He would feel the sun on his skin and just go the other way. I believe he said in the movie that he had been walking for 20 years. Pretty sure a seeing man could have made it across country much quicker than that..

There is so much stuff in that movie that confirms it, that I actually gotta question how you think that he was anything but blind, especially considering that it zooms right in on his eyes at the end..

[allBthere]

Re: The Book of Eli

Seriously? LOL. The obvious one is that the camera even zooms in on his eyes and they are whited out with blindness, I believe in the part where he first starts quoting Genesis to the archives guy.

Everything in the entire movie has to do with recognizing stuff by sound. He knew how to get to songs on his iPod by the click sound the scroll wheel makes. He knew the battery was dead because it wouldn't click anymore. The gunfight in the street, he never shot at a guy until he was shot at and heard the sound. He shoots the crows with his bow by the sounds they are making. At the beginning of the movie, he shoots the animal in the woods with his bow when he hears it step in the leaves. He heard the cannibal shaking the plates and that's how he knew she had the shaking disease. Everything in that movie that he does was done by sound and other senses.

He knew he was going west because the sun rises in the East and sets in the west, which is just a generalization and not literal. He would feel the sun on his skin and just go the other way. I believe he said in the movie that he had been walking for 20 years. Pretty sure a seeing man could have made it across country much quicker than that..

There is so much stuff in that movie that confirms it, that I actually gotta question how you think that he was anything but blind, especially considering that it zooms right in on his eyes at the end..

it got past me. I think because of all the things that point to sight. But I watched the first 10 min and see all the cue's... so I'll answer your question as to why i think he could see.

he looks at things and focuses on them, the wearing of shades (disguise i guess). Right away in the house you mention the ipod, well he looks right at the mouse too and nothing wrong with his eyes. I understand the whole divine help thing, but in battle with multiple opponents he knows exactly where they are swinging with melee weapons which is kind of impossible.

other small things like looking away during the abduction. I'm surprised I didn't pick up on it, but then again looking at it, it almost feels like every hint is countered with something you'd normally associate with sight. Like he does make direct eye contact a lot in the movie. And the eye thing at the end, he's dying, and his eyes weren't like that before.

Anyway LOL, i guess you can enjoy the movie without knowing (what seems to be key) Oh well, I guess I can't say "nothing gets by me"...