In 2010, Albert and Allen Hughes teamed up with Denzel Washington to deliver a compelling "end of the world" story in The Book of Eli. The world is barely inhabitable with some regions covered in ash and others nothing but a barren wasteland of its former self. However, the titular Eli traverses this world on a mission alone. Between the natural hazards of the world and groups of marauders terrorizing anyone seemingly weaker than them, this is no easy task.

The Book of Eli isn't the first post-apocalyptic film, and it won't be the last. However, it is one of the few that delivers a compelling twist ending that audiences can see coming if they pay attention. It's an ending that does more than deliver some shock value to the film, unlike some M. Night Shyamalan movies. The Book of Eli delivers various messages, such as the importance of purpose and the power of ideas, with an ending that serves to solidify those messages.

What is The Book of Eli About?

There are many meanings buried underneath The Book of Eli's plot. Some jump right out at the audience by the film's ending, such as having blind faith. The movie takes place in a desolate world after it has consumed itself, leaving only small settlements and a vast wasteland in its wake. Eli (Denzel Washington) is a man on a mission, heading west in search of a place he doesn't even know where. Along his way, he encounters several bandits, whom he has no issue dispatching with his stylized machete and a shotgun. He eventually comes to a small town managed by a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman).

Carnegie, unbeknownst to Eli, is searching for an important book that he believes will help him have more control over people. Eli winds up in an obligatory bar fight, which puts him on Carnegie's radar. While Carnegie tries to sway Eli to work for him, due to the way he handled himself in the bar, Eli meets Solara (Mila Kunis) and Claudia (Jennifer Beals). They take care of Eli in an attempt to persuade him to stay, but when Carnegie discovers that Eli possesses the exact book he wants, tensions rise.

Eli ends up having to fight his way out of the town rather than leave quietly as he would have liked. All because Carnegie asked for Eli's book, and the wanderer declined. When Eli escapes, Solara joins him, hoping for a better life and to potentially return and save the good people of the town. Unfortunately, Carnegie and his men catch up to the duo and successfully steal the book from Eli and leave him mortally wounded.

The Book of Eli’s Ending

After their encounter, Eli persists and continues on his eastward path. Solara continues with him. Meanwhile, Carnegie manages to open the book, which is locked. It's the King James version of the Bible, hammering home the theme that religion can be used for good or evil. Unfortunately, Carnegie wasn't able to read the Bible because it was unexpectedly written in Braille. At this point, the audience learns that Eli himself is blind, giving the events thus far a completely new meaning. The only person in the town capable of reading braille is Claudia, Solara's mother, who refuses to read it for Carnegie. She points out that his pursuit of the book that was going to help him control the city instead caused him to lose complete control.

Eli and Solara find themselves in the remnants of San Francisco, where Eli says they're close to his final destination. They take a boat across the bay to the prison island of Alcatraz, where they discover a small sanctuary of people. Here, they meet Lombardi (Malcolm McDowell) and a group of people in pursuit of preserving the sum of all human knowledge that came before the world destroyed itself. While all might seem lost to the audience because Eli no longer has the book, he recounts its entirety to Lombardi, allowing him to create a new physical copy of the King James Bible.

After the book's transcription, Eli passes away and is buried on the island. Lombardi places the new leatherbound Bible on a shelf with other holy books from around the world. While Lombardi extends an offer to Solara to stay, she declines and takes Eli's weapons to venture out to the wasteland, seemingly to rescue her mother.