In a grimy, washed out, post-war world, one man steadfastly marches west to fulfill a vision. The rogue Eli vows to protect his holy book at all costs, whether against curious onlookers or roving gangs, and to never stray from his path of righteousness, both literally and figuratively. The Book of Eli is a seriously badass film, with Denzel Washington offering just the right amount of panache and stoicism in a role you’d ordinarily expect to see played by Bruce Willis or Will Smith.

Eli (Washington) is a relic from long ago, before the wars robbed the world of its people. He remembers when the blinding flashes of light came and the beginning of the nuclear winter that soon followed. He has little in life: a machete, a couple of guns, a bow and arrow, an iPod, and a book. Although the book is never explicitly named in the movie, it’s a King James Bible, and the religious overtones aren’t even a little bit subtle. Eli, whether he seems himself like this or not, is a prophet chosen to bring the good word to the western shores, through a barren wasteland in which people are scared and aimless and whose lives lack spirituality.

As his arsenal might indicate, Eli is by no means a pushover. He has catlike reflexes and is an excellent marksman. The man can handle himself in a fight. He looks a little weathered (there are a few references to his age), but he seems to be in tremendous mental and physical shape. He is so resolute in his single-minded journey that he doesn’t even stop to lend a hand when a gang of toughs attacks a man and a woman pushing a wheelbarrow. Eli pushes on toward the town, not wishing to stray. (Naturally, he’ll meet up with those same toughs just minutes later.)

Every hero must have some kind of villain, and for Eli it’s Carnegie (Gary Oldman), who rules the local town with an iron fist. Carnegie’s quest is to find a Bible, because he realizes – even as a small-time despot – that if he can get people to follow the teachings of the Good Book, he’ll really be able to own them; he sends out marauding gangs to look for one, because after the wars every known Bible was burned. To maintain his hold and even expand to other towns, Carnegie must have that book.

At the town, Eli is joined by Solara (Mila Kunis), the daughter of Carnegie’s woman (played by Jennifer Beals), who’s also blind. Solara wants to escape her one-way, dead-end, two-bit town, but the man with the machete works alone. He’s like Dirty Harry, or something.

The movie is not without its faults, however. Carnegie’s intentions seem ambiguous, even unnecessary. Also, it’s not clear whether we’re meant to think Eli is a man on a mission or is actually protected by some greater power. That is to say, it’s obvious that Eli himself believes the latter, but whether this is actually true within the film’s own parameters is a little murkier.

Then there’s the inclusion of Solara herself; it’s almost as if she’s there as a pretty face to offset all the dreary, dust-spattered machismo floating about. Give the film a softer edge. But it’s a serious character who has quite a bit to do with how Eli spends the rest of his journey, and Kunis isn’t up to the task; she’s far, far too lightweight an actress for such an emotionally demanding role, and the movie suffers as a result.

Finally, the twist that comes right at the very end of the movie is a little… odd. You might not see it coming, and you might even rub your eyes a few times to figure out if what you saw is what you thought you saw. To me, the twist just plain didn’t matter. I have read elsewhere that this twist is crucial to the movie, but I don’t agree; it just felt out of place. This twist is meant to explain the preceding two hours away. It’s supposed to make you slap your forehead with realization. But the way I see it, if you buy into this twist, fine; if you don’t buy into it, you still have a good movie that delivers what it promises: a lot of ass kicking in a post-apocalyptic world of the near future.

Book of Eli: ***