Rent Man on Fire (2004)

WOW - Man on Fire review by CP Customer

This is probably the best Denzel Washington film i've ever seen he was fantastic he was beleivable and cool. The other cast members were also outstanding. Its length is also justifyed. (Warning its a 18 for a reason.)

Washington on Fire - Man on Fire review by CP Customer

Although its a while before anything really happens, I like how this film spends time to show you the bond thats, forceably at first, built between the girl and her bodyguard. Thus you care when it all goes off. Washington is great as the cool, calm but lethal weapon with a no-nonsense attitude and his path through the storyline, for me, is believable. Can't say anything about the end without spoiling it. There are moments throughout, of purposely shakey camera work and quick zooms and panning for effect, I found it annoying more than anything but it didn't spoil it. A good film!

A towering, staggeringly emotional, phenomenal film with Denzel's best ever performance - Man on Fire review by TB

As much as Training Day is probably the film which most people would think of when asked to name Denzel's best performance, for me it will always emphatically be Man on Fire.

From the opening shots of a wealthy young man being snatched off the streets and mutilated in order to extort an enormous ransom, the scene is very clearly set as to what this film will be like. And believe me, this film earns it's 18 rating.

Denzel is John Creasy, a man who although he is currently CIA, you can tell has been in every agency America has, and involved in massive amounts of horrific violence and slaughter. This has lead to a spiral into depression and suicidal tendancies, along with severe alcoholism. Bereft, lost & wanting to die, he is persuaded by his longtime friend & confidante (Christopher Walken,) to become a bodyguard for the daughter of a wealthy car magnate in Mexico City, where every few minutes someone is kidnapped.

And this is where the film takes flight. It would be so easy to make Pita either a brat who you can't stand or saccharine sweet/perfect and this used unbelievably heavy-handedly once she is kidnapped in order to tug as many heartstrings as possible in the most facetious way possible. The film absolutely refuses to go down either of these two routes. Pita is a complicated and incredibly real character, who is unbelievably perceptive and sees in Creasy a lost soul who wants to be loved and shown a reason to live again. Their interactions, whether annoying, gentle or genuinely moving, are a joy to watch. The chemistry the two of them have is staggering.

When the proverbial does hit the fan, as it absolutely has to, the film then goes up a gear. But it also resists the temptation to become a clichéd generic action thriller. It has worked too hard to get to this point of you genuinely caring about Pita and Creasy simply to squander it. And Tony Scott is too skilled a storyteller & filmmaker to ruin this. What it does instead is absolutely brilliant.

Denzel, although he is wounded and almost killed, firstly spends a decent amount of time in recovery. He is in no way portrayed as some unstoppable mountain of a man, instead really shown suffering & on a long road to recovery. Then when he makes it his mission to track down & kill the people involved involved in Pita's kidnapping, he gets to work in no uncertain terms.

The journey we take with him is one of unbelievably twists, heart-wrenching turns and real emotional heft. Aiding us in this journey, apart from the amazing script and direction, is the staggering soundtrack. It is an absolutely seismic achievement, with the ending song one which will forever stay with me.

As mentioned, Denzel is incredible, as is Dakota Fanning as Pita. But everyone is at the top of their games. Christopher Walken does wonders with his role, especially his stunning speech whilst talking to Giancarlo Giannini's detective, who is also excellent.

And then we get to the ending. I won't say anything apart from, if you don't cry when you watch this, you have a heart of stone. Every time I see this, it destroys me, the same as when Mufasa is killed in The Lion King.

This is a stunning film, in every way. And it finally is doubly tragic because now that we have lost Tony Scott, never again will we be treated to this kind of film. And that is the real tragedy.

Fantastic, Stylish Thriller - Man on Fire review by GI

A fantastic action thriller from director Tony Scott who is often overshadowed by his older brother Ridley but who has made some cracking movies. This has his trademark jump edits, fast action and a gritty realistic look. Denzel Washington plays Creasy, a washed up former soldier and CIA agent who is haunted by the killings he has perpetrated in the past and is now a borderline alcoholic. Unable to find a job or indeed a purpose in life he turns to his old comrade Rayburn (the always brilliant Christopher Walken) who secures him a job as a bodyguard to the young daughter of a rich businessman in Mexico City. Despite himself Creasy begins to bond with the charming girl played with sheer delight by Dakota Fanning. But when the girl is kidnapped Creasy is moved to determined vengeance on all involved. The plot has some great twists and turns, there is a disturbing satisfaction to be had in watching Creasy exact his revenge on the various people he discovers linked with the crime and whilst the film is violent it never slips into gratuitousness. The excellent cast is rounded out by Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin and a bizarrely cast Mickey Rourke as a lawyer. This is a clever film and well worth a re-evaluation if it's been awhile since you've seen it. As a small piece of trivia this is actually a part remake from a film of the same title made in 1987, starring Scott Glenn and set in Italy, also worth checking out if you've never seen it.