ANOTHER post-apocalyptic adventure – last week we had Viggo Mortensen in The Road – sees Denzel Washington as a lone hero guarding a sacred book which contains the knowledge of how to save mankind. Gary Oldman is the baddie trying to take possession of th

ANOTHER post-apocalyptic adventure - last week we had Viggo Mortensen in The Road - sees Denzel Washington as a lone hero guarding a sacred book which contains the knowledge of how to save mankind.

Gary Oldman is the baddie trying to take possession of the book. Michael Gambon, Frances de la Tour and Malcolm McDowell play supporting roles.

THE BOOK OF ELI (certificate yet to be confirmed) is set 30 years after the final war. America is a wasteland, with empty cities and seared earth. The roads belong to gangs who would murder a man for his shoes or an ounce of water.

Eli seeks only peace, but if challenged he will kill to protect the book.

Veteran stunt co-ordinator Jeff Imada (The Bourne Ultimatum and Fight Club) orchestrated the explosive confrontations to reveal the breadth of Eli's hard-won survival skills.

He says: "We're going to see some street-oriented fighting. There will be a lot of weaponry, some knife fighting, sword and stick fighting; you'll see Eli using his environment to defend himself, facing multiple opponents coming at him like a pack of wolves, and some one-on-ones. Anything goes."

Washington, 55, put in months of hard work with some of the industry's best martial arts trainers, which meant fight scenes were captured in a single take and without the support of a stunt double.