Directed by Tony Scott

I am a huge fan of Denzel, he is a terrific actor and has had some excellent roles so I am always eager to see one of his movies. That said, I still don?t know how he beat ?Aussie? Russell Crowe out of that Best Actor Oscar for his role in ?Training Day?. They probably gave it to him for playing a bad guy and not the good guy roles he is renowned for. In ?Man on Fire? he again plays a good guy and hero, but this good guy is out for revenge and watching that unfold made this a movie not to be missed.

Denzel plays John W. Creasy a ?no hoper and alcoholic? by his own admissions who gets a job in Mexico City as a bodyguard, hired by Sammy Ramos (Anthony aka Mr J-Lo) to protect his wife Lisa (Mitchell) and daughter Pita (Fanning). Pita is Creasy?s main focus as the movie tells us at the start that in Latin America there is a kidnapping even sixty minutes and 70% of the victims lose their lives.

Pita takes an instant liking to Creasy and wants to be friends but Creasy wants to concentrate on his job but after an attempted suicide attempt, the gun doesn?t fire, he starts to form a bond with Pita and helps her win a swimming race. After taking Pita to a piano lesson, the inevitable happens and Pita is kidnapped. What a shock!! Whilst trying to protect her, Creasy kills two corrupt policeman, gets shot himself and ends up in hospital charged with their murders.

Of course after a kidnapping comes the ransom demands and when the drop off of the money goes wrong, and the kidnapper?s nephew is murdered, poor Pita?s life is threatened. After hearing of this and recovering from his injuries, Creasy decides to avenge the death of Pita by tracking down the kidnapping gang, known as La Hermandad? and making them pay with their lives. It turns out that old Creasy was an assassin for the last 16 years. That would certainly drive you to alcoholism!!!

He is helped in his quest by Mariana (Rachel Ticotin) a reporter with the newspaper ?Reforma? who is eager to uncover all the police corruption and ?unmask? the gang responsible for these heinous crimes including the man known as ?The Voice?, the guy who is always on the other end of the phone when the ransom demands are made.

I don?t want to give too much of the storyline away so that it spoils the film for you but expect a twist in the tale at the end of the movie and you may even expect a few tears if you are a big softie like me. The film is one of the better thrillers I have seen in a while and had me glued to my screen for over two hours, that is a rarity for me as I often find myself watching the clock if a film is too long. That said. I still feel the film could have been edited a little more so that it was shorter. This would have given the film more of an impact as well.

The performance of Denzel is definitely the stand out, particularly watching the way he hands out his own brand of justice. This alone is worth watching the film for. Even though Creasy does some pretty hideous things throughout the movie you tend to forgive him because of the reasons behind it all, his love for Pita. Miss Fanning has proven once again that she is certainly a talented little performer and has impressed me in every movie she has appeared in.

Mickey Rourke plays a minor role as the Ramos family attorney, Jordan Kalfus, while Christopher Walken seemed wasted to me as Paul Rayburn, Creasy?s friend. He had little screen time and I couldn?t really work out what his role was in the whole scheme of things initially. I think he used to work with Creasy in the CIA but I didn?t feel that this was very clear. Creasy became an alcoholic after it all while Rayburn seemed to get on with his life and start a family.

I loved the use of sub-titles throughout the film, even when the characters were speaking English. Their position on the screen was unique and they were very easy to read. The movie?s storyline was very believable, except for the over the top violence in the second part of the film. There are some classic one liners scattered throughout the plot too.

I can?t recall seeing this film advertised much when it was at the theatres and I don?t know how well it did at the box office but I am sure most people that saw it would have loved it, particularly on a big screen. I would expect many would have cringed, like I did when fingers were being removed one by one from one of Creasy?s victims.

Denzel?s character reminded me a little of the Incredible Hulk?s alter-ego who used to say ?Don?t get me angry, you wouldn?t like me when I?m angry!!!? John W. Creasy is a man you don?t want to get on the wrong side of.

This film is definitely worth a watch and one of the better films I have seen of late.

THE EXTRAS

I had a preview disc which did not have any extras so I can not comment on them. Other than Scene Selection a little research tells me the following extras are available:
? Audio Commentary by director Tony Scott
? 15 deleted/extended scenes

CONCLUSION

Man on Fire is a thriller starring Denzel Washington who plays John Creasy, ex CIA operative who is hired to be a bodyguard to Pita Ramos (Dakota Faning). When she is kidnapped and the ransom bungled, Creasy starts to track down the men responsible for this crime and other kidnappings in Mexico City. Denzel?s performance is excellent as is his rapport with Fanning?s Pita. There is also plenty of violence and a wonderful script that will keep you entertained for well over two hours. Well worth a look!!