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Denzel walks the apocalyptic trail
Denzel Washington delivers the word in sombre action thriller.
WITH his designer shades and grey-flecked beard, Denzel Washington cuts an iconic figure during his odyssey through post-apocalyptic American landscapes in THE BOOK OF ELI (15: Entertainment In Video).
In this amalgam of Mad Max, Clint Eastwood's 'The Man With No Name' and recent DVD release The Road, co-producer/star Washington is a lone adventurer fighting to keep possession of a book he believes carries sacred powers.
But despite the influence of other movies, directors the Hughes Brothers (Dead Presidents, From Hell) put their own distinctive stamp on a curious blend of futuristic spaghetti western and sombre meditation on the uses and abuses of faith.
The deliberately paced story sees Washington encounter gangs of marauders on his journey, including the ruthless Gary Oldman, who engages in a bloody battle over the eponymous tome. And it's not too hard to guess the identity of the good book in question.
The final twist shreds credibility, but a nod of respect is due to the Hughes boys for sticking to their idiosyncratic path in a world of anonymous production-line action flicks.
I particularly enjoyed the cameos from Michael Gambon and Frances de la Tour as a cranky couple of survivalists.
> Intriguingly weird sci-fi/horror hybrid DAYBREAKERS (15: Lionsgate) also has siblings, Michael and Peter Spierig, at the helm.
Humans are the hunted minority in a near-future world populated by vampires, so a scientist (Ethan Hawke) creates a synthetic plasma substitute to ensure mankind's survival.
His boss (Sam Neill) is making a fortune out of harvesting blood at inflated prices and with this pointed message on corporate greed, the directors have cleverly revitalised a tired-looking genre.
It's a cool and confident development of the raw talent the Spierigs displayed in their debut zombie feature Undead.
Hawke is terrific and Willem Dafoe boosts the fun factor as a Van Helsing-type with a big secret.
Add the beautiful Blade Runner-style cityscapes, the smart takes on the vampire myth (video mirrors and sun-proofed cars), inventive shocks and copious blood loss, and you have an engagingly skilful blend of John Carpenter and Bram Stoker.
> Colourful futuristic adventure ASTRO BOY (PG: EI Entertainment) sees the iconic Japanese anime character make his Hollywood bow.
Brilliant scientist Dr Tenma (voiced by Nicolas Cage) is devastated when his equally talented son Toby (Freddie Highmore) is accidentally killed during an experiment.
Although Tenma builds a robotic replacement, he abandons him when he doesn't live up to expectations. Left to fend for himself, the robot becomes Astro Boy and discovers the true extent of his powers when an evil force threatens the world.
While introducing some fairly adult themes, it's less cheesy and sentimental than a lot of animated fare, but still finds room for some exciting action sequences and comic relief in the shape of the hapless Robot Liberation Front, whose leader is voiced by Little Britain's Matt Lucas.
> Workmanlike thriller ARMORED (12: Sony) never delivers quite enough bang for your buck.
Security guards plot to rob their own reinforced vans and blame the theft of $42million in cash on an outside gang. However, the supposedly perfect, non-violent and victimless crime goes pear-shaped and bullets start flying as the crews turn on each other.
Columbus Short provides the film's moral compass as the Iraq War veteran and new boy on the block who's struggling with mounting bills at home.
He challenges the authority of gruff alpha males Laurence Fishburne and Matt Dillon, neither of whom is called on to do much other than scowl and be handy with a gun.
Director Nimrod Antal's attempts to crank up the tension are telegraphed far too often and undermined by a flagrant disregard for logic.
> Top ten: 1 Did Your Hear About The Morgans? 2 Up In The Air; 3 Avatar; 4 Law Abiding Citizen; 5 St Trinians 2; 6 2012; 7 44 Inch Chest; 8 The Box; 9 The Ien who Stare At Goats; 10 It's Complicated. Chart from Blockbuster.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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