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Back Shelf Beauties
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Man On Fire He's meaner than The Punisher, so bad guys better be scared. No, it's not another comic book hero. It's Denzel Washington out for revenge. Washington stars as Creasy - a former military special ops guy who specialized in counter-terrorism. He is still troubled by the people he has killed, so he spends most of his time drinking life away and refusing to feel any emotions. Old military pal, Rayburn (Christopher Walken), convinces him to come to Mexico and serve as a bodyguard, since kidnappings are prevalent in this dangerous land, and old military guys can make some good money. Creasy agrees to protect the young daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), of an upper middle class family, and she brings Creasy back to life emotionally and spiritually. When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy decides to punish those responsible by whatever means are necessary. Will Creasy get those responsible? Will it ease his pain? I was worried about this movie until I saw the magical words, "written by Brian Helgeland." While I can never for give him for The Order, he is the same guy who wrote L.A. Confidential and Mystic River, so you know he can bring it. Helgeland does a wonderful job laying the foundation for Creasy's wrath without getting too sappy about it, and he provides strong dialogue for Washington and Fanning, who elevate their roles with great chemistry and ability. Based on a novel by A.J. Quinnell, director Tony Scott and Helgeland have Creasy exact justice in ways that are oddly amusing, and the duo adds some lighthearted comedic moments that show the growing love between our two lead characters. Man on Fire is a very good movie because Scott sets the perfect tone and mood. First, he and cinematographer Paul Cameron give the film a gritty, underground look that always makes every scene and location look dangerous. Second, Scott is one of the few who understands how to use quick cuts in editing. He has a few wonderful scenes like the night when Creasy can't get to sleep or the fantastically dramatic kidnapping scene where the rapid fire editing conveys the situation's confusion, so we can understand Creasy's troubled mind and confusion. Finally, Scott uses subtitles in a way that you have never seen before. It makes them easier to read and almost makes the subtitles a character of their own to convey important information to the audience (don't worry, there are only a few subtitles, so don't avoid this one because of that). Washington brings great intensity and moral outrage to the character that makes his path to vengeance an interesting one, and compels the audience to root for him. What else can you say about Washington? Of course, he's great when Creasy is a down-on-his-luck alcoholic who is trying to avoid emotion, and, of course, even better as his character opens up and starts to live life again. Washington is awesome. Fanning shows why she is the best child actor in the business as she plays a precocious kid who doesn't get on your nerves and lifts up the audience's spirits as Pita brings Creasy back into life. Also, look for a fun performance from Walken, who gets a chance to ham it up a bit, but delivers the goods when his character needs to save Creasy's rear end. Scott and Helgeland's only failing in this film is extending it too long. When you see Man on Fire, you might agree with me that the movie should have ended at the 2-hour mark without the additional half hour of scenes that yield a different ending then you might want (and a different ending than I wanted). Without giving it away, I think the 2-hour ending was a strong one, a believable one, and the one we wanted to see, while the current ending takes away from Creasy's original intensions and actions. Man on Fire is a very good movie, and yet another reason why Denzel Washington is amazing. 2 ½ Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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