Man on Fire
(Fox Region 1 DVD)
(2004)
review by Head Cheeze

Denzel Washington seems to have a blast when he's playing the bad ass. Hell, it's payed off for him, and since he won the Academy Award for his portrayal of corrupt cop Alonzo Harris in the excellent Training Day, one can't fault Denzel for keeping an eye peeled for the next great anti-hero role to come down the pike. So it's with very apparent glee that Washington takes on the role of drunk, suicidal, and conflicted ex-assassin Creasy in Tony Scott's Man on Fire; a character whose actions makes Alonzo Harris seem positively benign by comparison.

In Mexico City, kidnappings happen with the frequency of jaywalkings in New York, so it's hardly a surprise that wealthy auto executive Samuel Ramos and his American wife Lisa (Anthony and Mitchell) require a bodyguard for their young daughter Pita (Fanning). However, Samuel isn't as wealthy as he appears, and needs to "settle" on a less than professional professional, aiming to hire someone for appearances rather than ability. When psychologically scarred and Jack Daniels dependent ex-marine Creasy (Washington) is referred to Ramos, he wants to hire him because he's cheap, while his wife and daughter immediately take a liking to the man. At first, Creasy is reluctant to be anything other than a bodyguard to the obviously lonely Pita, but soon he develops something of a paternal bond with the girl that somehow chases his own personal demons away. However, in a grab that leaves Creasy nearly fatally injured, Pita is taken by a gang of corrupt cops (in Mexico?? You don't say!) and held for ransom. While Creasy is laying in a hospital bed, Samuel and his lawyer, Jordan (Rourke), negotiate to get Pita back. However, when the negotiations fail, Pita is lost, and Creasy rises from his sick bed to seek out and kill each and every man responsible for the young girl's death. Aided by a reporter eager to expose the corrupt Mexico City Police (Ticotin), as well as a former Interpol agent (Giannini), Creasy works his way through to the heart of this organised crime ring, only to discover all is not what it seems.

Directed with the usual herky-jerky camera movements, extreme close-ups, and mixed media that Tony "I am not Ridley!" Scott has employed since 1993's True Romance, Man on Fire is a stylish, violent, and well acted bit of revenge drama. It's also a bloody long film, coming in at just under two and a half hours. While that's not really an issue for me, the fact that there really isn't much by way of action until the last forty five minutes of the film is. A huge chunk of this film is dedicated to Creasy and Pita's relationship, and lots of scenes of Creasy getting his drunk on and contemplating suicide. When the film does finally kick into gear, though, it's a great ride, and Washington seems to relish handing out his character's extreme death sentences to those who wronged him.

The DVD from Fox features "extras" that are a bit puzzling. While there is a Tony Scott commentary track, the other bonuses on this disc are for other films! For example, when you select the "Behind the Scenes" option, you get a Behind the Scenes featurette, allright; for Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah's "TAXI"!?! Why this is even here I don't know. Perhaps the space was earmarked for a Man on Fire featurette that wasn't completed in time for release? Perhaps it's all a big ruse? Who knows.

Man on Fire is great film if you don't mind movies where the set-up eats up nearly twice as much time as the pay-off. Personally, I enjoyed the complex relationship between Creasy and the Ramos family, and felt it lent some credibility to Creasy's violent campaign at film's end, but I'm sure some will find the film's pace a bit slow. Just the same, once Man on Fire switches to Death Wish mode, the movie becomes a sadistic and sardonic rampage that is gleefully violent, morally amibiguous, and, dare I say, ultimately satisfying.