By Esther Iverem--SeeingBlack.com Editor and Film Critic
In “The Book of Eli,” Denzel Washington walks the road of a post-apocalyptic United States with crude but effective weapons, Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes on his iPod and the perfect shades on his face. He is the ultimate Hollywood action hero with a serious edge and twist—a righteous man who only resorts to violence when provoked and in self-defense.
So why no Internet buzz about this Black film hero? I admit it, part of my query has to do with the over-the-top analysis in some quarters of “Avatar” as racist, typical colonialist narrative, one post even referred to it as “Orientalist fantasy” because of the elevation of the White hero. While I understood these critiques, I thought that the film’s over-riding narrative was about a triumph created by and for a “people of color” and about a triumph of nature and spirit over death machines and destruction.
I did see commentary by many who shared my view but I stayed out of the fray. I had written my short review of the film and I stood by it. But, still, a question lingered in my mind—are we Black filmgoers conditioned to not see our heroes? Or conditioned to see and cheer only Black stereotypical heroes—ghetto superstars, musicians, athletes etc.—and mainly men? If Neytiri of the Navi (played by Zoe Saldana) in “Avatar” was not a hero, then I don’t know what a hero is.
Then it took me a long time to write about “The Book of Eli,” which with its strong Christian underpinnings, seems like the perfect answer for all those like the Pope who considered Avatar’s spiritual message pagan-like and sacrilegious. Not since Morpheus kicked some serous ass in “The Matrix” have I seen a Black film star get the better of so many serious fight scenes. Not since Will Smith in “I Am Legend,” have I seen a Black hero, framed by a superior intellect, slay those who dare threaten what is left of humanity.
Read the Full Essay @ SeeingBlack.com
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