Directed by:
Tony ScottScreenplay:
Brian HelgelandCinematography:
Paul CameronComposer:
Harry Gregson-WilliamsCast:
Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Ticotin, Roberto Sosa (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Hard-drinking, burnt-out ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Washington) has given up on life--until his friend Rayburn (Oscar winner Christopher Walken) gets him a job as a bodyguard to nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning). Bit by bit, Creasy begins to reclaim his soul, but when Pita is kidnapped, Creasy unleashes a firestorm of apocalyptic vengeance against everyone responsible. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (9)
Classic American Rambo revenge morality covered with the skin of a top techno-thriller form. The lemonade motif of the pursuit of justice and the pursuit of the last shudder of love in the soul of the bestial good guy didn't really irritate me, because Denzel Washington, the killer with a human face is good, and Scott even serves the loving relationship with little Pita in a tolerable way. The dumb content is clearly overridden by a selective form, a high-tech camera, perfect editing, and a clip-like incorporation of a musical undertone. Maybe if the story didn’t take itself so deadly seriously and some of the really forgettable dialogues were left out, Man on Fire would have been a very good, low-value film. Especially thanks to the directing and technical implementation, I was quite interested in the story, but I was definitely not satisfied. There's something infantile stupid about it, and Tony Scott can pull any sort of fat rabbits out of his hat, but this fact can't be disguised. A stupid action film in a selective guise with good acting.
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Tony Scott scored a bullseye with me again. Man On Fire is a perfectly made action thriller with no shortage of deep emotions and perfect action, all framed in Tony’s classic “epileptic" style. The screenplay is also pretty well written and the actors, headed by Denzel Washington, have something to say. For action and Tony fans, just superb.
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I won't hide the fact that I expected a bit more from it. The first half is a compelling look at the growing friendship between a beleaguered bodyguard and a charming young girl, which is a joy to watch thanks to the performances and Scott's precise direction. The second half, marked by Washington's revenge and the liquidation of the kidnappers, does not lack momentum and brutality, but it’s surprisingly cold and the jerky camera got on my nerves instead of making everything more interesting. But that doesn't change the fact that Tony Scott was a great director who could make even a wheelchair chase look spectacular, and his action prowess and experience can be felt in every scene and especially in the ending. Man on Fire didn't impress me given the reviews, but on the other hand it didn't bore me for a moment. 3.5*
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Tony Scott for the first time in full-on experimentally impressionistic mode in a feature-length film. The cinematography and editing, or rather the use of fragments of shots, become the equivalent of massive deposits of paint and brushstrokes. In a nervously agitated way, Scott transforms a gritty thriller into fantastical macho camp whose overwrought images are just as infused with kitsch and surreal artificiality as the peak works by the master of melodrama, Douglas Sirk. On a small monitor, it is a ridiculous spectacle for pubescent boys fumbling about in their masculinity, but on the big screen, Man on Fire is breathtaking as a spectacular audio-visual equivalent of kinetic art. The magnificent experience is framed by a mix of impressions from a unique work that manages to be unintentionally funny in its bleakness, cringy in its kitsch, touching in its pathos and captivating in its formalism.
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Although I didn't believe it, Tony Scott is capable of a sensitive and unique approach. In other words, he indulges in flashy playfulness only in action scenes and when bringing together a large sad bear and the cutest child movie star of recent times, he keeps the camera still and lets the atmosphere take effect. Thanks to this, the sensitive moments stand out and the twists are filled with emotions to the breaking point. A perfectly crafted piece of filmmaking, created with love, to which the story naturally lends itself.
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Gallery (105)
Photo © 2004 20th Century Fox
![Man on Fire - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/159/883/159883280_ea7d3f.jpg)
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