The Book of Eli (2010)
Some will kill to have it. He will kill to protect it.
A post-apocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.
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| Type | Movie |
|---|---|
| Released | 14 January 2010 |
| Genre | Action, Thriller, Science Fiction |
| Director | Allen Hughes |
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis |
| Runtime | 118 min |
| Rated | R |
| Scores | Rotten Tomatoes (average) 5.5/10 · Rotten Tomatoes 47% · Metacritic 53/100 · TMDB users 6.8/10 |
| Budget | $80 million |
Where to watch The Book of Eli
We could not find The Book of Eli on any of the subscription services we track in the US right now. That changes often; open it in Binge Boss and we will show you where it lands.
Rent or buy
You can rent or buy The Book of Eli on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Book of Eli in 42 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Angola | Netflix about |
| Antigua & Barbuda | Max |
| Argentina | Max $9590 ARS |
| Australia | Binge $19.00 AUD, Foxtel, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Skygo |
| Bahamas | Max |
| Barbados | Max |
| Belize | Max |
| Bolivia | Max |
| Brazil | Max R$34.90 |
| Cape Verde | Netflix about |
| Chile | Max $9590 CLP |
| Colombia | Max $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Max |
| Denmark | Viaplay 159 kr DKK |
| Dominican Republic | Max |
| Ecuador | Max $8.29 |
| El Salvador | Max |
| Finland | Viaplay €13.99 |
| Germany | Skygo |
| Guatemala | Max |
| Guyana | Max |
| Honduras | Max |
| India | SonyLIV ₹299 |
| Jamaica | Max |
| Japan | U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Mexico | Max $149 MXN |
| Mozambique | Netflix about |
| Nicaragua | Max |
| Norway | Viaplay 169 kr NOK |
| Panama | Max $8.29 |
| Paraguay | Max |
| Peru | Max S/35.90 |
| South Africa | Netflix R99 ZAR |
| St. Lucia | Max |
| Sweden | Viaplay 169 kr SEK |
| Trinidad & Tobago | Max |
| Turks & Caicos Islands | Max |
| Uruguay | Max $U399 |
| Venezuela | Max |
| Zambia | Netflix about |
| Zimbabwe | Netflix |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
The Book of Eli is a 2010 post-apocalyptic action thriller directed by Allen Hughes. Denzel Washington plays Eli, a lone traveler crossing a ruined America to protect a sacred book. Gary Oldman plays Carnegie. Mila Kunis plays Solara. The film runs 118 minutes. It is a road movie where the destination is less important than the violence required to reach it. The tagline is blunt: some will kill to have it, he will kill to protect it. It leans heavily on the visual spectacle of a desolate world and the physicality of its protagonist. It is a straightforward genre piece that prioritizes momentum over nuance.
What the critics said
The critics were polite, mostly. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 47% as of August 2024, with an average score of 5.5/10. Metacritic lands on 53, which translates to mixed or average. Roger Ebert gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting the ending throws in several WTF! moments, which he called a bonus. Owen Gleiberman was less impressed, grading it a D and calling it a ponderous dystopian bummer.
How it did with audiences
The Book of Eli cost $80 million and took in $157 million worldwide. That margin is comfortable, the kind of result that keeps studio executives smiling at their quarterly reports. On TMDB, users rate it 6.8 out of 10. It opened at number two, just behind Avatar, which tells you everything about its release window. The math works out fine.
What came next for the cast
Denzel Washington moved from Inside Man to Flight. Gary Oldman shifted from The Dark Knight to Oppenheimer. Mila Kunis pivoted from Forgetting Sarah Marshall to Jupiter Ascending. These trajectories show a distinct industry-wide drift toward bigger, louder franchises. The film itself offers no causal link to these specific career turns. It simply sits in the timeline.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched The Book of Eli.
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Sources
- The Book of Eli on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q274529 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “The Book of Eli” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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