"What does he know?"
This is, throughout the ravaged landscape of The Book of Eli, the unavoidable question we ask of the title character. Denzel Washington plays Eli, a wanderer both desperate and serene, who trudges slowly and purposefully West. Hidden in his satchel, along with the necessities for physical survival in post-apocalyptic America, is a Holy Book, Eli's spiritual sustenance in a world that- quite literally- would like nothing more than to devour him. We are given only small clues of the brutalizing past that left the world coated in dust and misery, but the desperate and thirsty present proves no place for a lone traveler. Unless, like Eli, that traveler possesses an otherworldly sixth sense and the ability to dispatch with anyone who threatens his journey. What does Eli know about his book? Is it madness or a spiritual quest that wakes him each morning, set for another day under the punishing sun?
Most of those who survived the apocalypse no longer care to read, or are too young to have known stories kept in books. Most of Eli's pursuers are more interested in his rations of water, chap-stick and old KFC towelettes than in his actual treasure. But there are some who remember, and in this memory knowledge is power. Especially religious knowledge. After all, within the chaos of this world something must bring control. Once it becomes known that Eli possesses the means to such control, the lonely traveler quickly becomes the center of attention.
Throughout the film we are made to wonder why Eli cares so deeply for the book. While uninterested in the religious control craved by his enemies, he also seems unaffected by the words and mystery within the book. One moment he mercilessly slaughters his enemies while the next he quotes verses of deep peace and comfort to a frightened companion. For all of his zeal, does Eli actually know the book he carries?
Despite its big-budget action and moments of Denzel-cool, The Book of Eli is actually interested in how we know. There are plenty who see Eli's book yet can claim no knowledge of it. Eli's literate enemies, while understanding the book's power, do not genuinely know it. Even Eli must be considered carefully. After thirty years of pilgrimage, has he only seen the Holy Book and missed its meaning? To truly know, the film implies, is to be completely changed.
He who has eyes to see... let him know.
