Burnt out ex-special agent John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is drifting aimlessly and drinking himself into oblivion when he catches up with his old partner in assassinations, Rayburn (Christopher Walken), in Mexico. Organised crime kidnappings of rich kids in Mexico City opens up an opportunity to work as a bodyguard, a job Rayburn helps him find. Creasy's client is 9-year-old Pita (Dakota Fanning) daughter of industrialist Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) and his American wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell). At first resistant to Pita's probing into his personal life, Creasy gradually opens his heart to the innocent and endearing girl, and is devastated when she's kidnapped by a gang including corrupt police. He is badly wounded, but his fury keeps him going as he begins to hunt down the perpetrators, like a man on fire.
Special Agent Matti
Watching Man on fire is a bit like watching The Transporter but with a less sociable protagonist. Fortunately, he dies. In Hollywood, anti-heroes are fine, but people who have done unspeakable things can't make it past the closing credits. In Hollywood, too, blonde-haired, blue-eyed children can only make it past the closing credits. Dogs are likewise invulnerable. I was getting really excited when it was revealed that Lapita was kidnapped and killed because this was going to be a Hollywood movie that breaks the rules...
Yeah, right.
On the plus side, Man on fire is a good look at the ethical values of Hollywood with regards to heroic bad people. If you're interested in doing a sociological dissertation called Hollywood: how it reflects the morality of contemporary American society.
Yeah, right.
Two-and-a-half hours is a long time to sit still for anything, let alone a revenge movie, but Man on fire almost manages to get you through to the end. It's not Lord of the rings or The Matrix or Harry Potter but it's entertaining enough if you like one man wrestling with his demons as he kills every baddie in sight.
MA 15+ (Medium level violence)
146 minutes (2:26 hours)
Film: 5 August 2004
