Man on Fire: Movie Review, DVD Review (2004)

(Originally published 2004)

Directed by Tony Scott, written by Brian Helgeland, 142 minutes, rated R.

Tony Scott's “Man on Fire” is so over-stylized and burdened by its chaotic, quick-cut editing, there’s the sense that the director doesn’t trust his story, his characters or his actors.

This is a film in which even the subtitles are restless—they zigzag about the screen in a jumbled attempt to evoke edgy style. The decision to employ that sort of empty flash is nothing new for the director of “The Last Boy Scout,” “Enemy of the State” and “Spy Game.” Still, while the story behind “Man on Fire” may not be fresh, it’s hardly dead and it doesn’t need the false energy its showy style promotes.

What sells the movie are its performances, beginning with Denzel Washington’s excellent turn as Creasy, a down-on-his-luck bodyguard living in Mexico City who has come to love the bottle more than life itself.

He’s ready to give up on everything when his old friend Rayburn (Christopher Walken) gets him a job with Lisa and Samuel Ramos (Radha Mitchell and Marc Anthony), a sketchy, wealthy couple saddled with rococo taste, bad luck and shady business associates. They want Creasy to protect their young daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), from an inevitable kidnapping, and they hire him in spite of Creasy’s admission that he’s a drunk.

Since there wouldn’t be a movie without the kidnapping, onward it pushes to that end, with Creasy failing to protect Pita when it occurs.

Pita is played by Fanning with the same precocious self-confidence she showcased in “I Am Sam.” The girl knows she has talent, which is undeniable, though it must be said that there are moments when she’s so absurdly eloquent, it’s creepy, as if she’s a 110-year-old intellectual caught in a child’s body. George Bush would do well to get tips from her on how speak clearly and effectively.

The last half of the movie is a bloody revenge fantasy, with Creasy rising as an avenging angel to make those responsible for Pita’s kidnapping and possible murder pay the ultimate price. This is the best part of the film, filled with taught action, jolts of humor, a brief yet credible turn by Mickey Rourke, and a fantastic supporting performance by Rachel Ticotin as the renegade reporter who helps Creasy on the case. She’s a natural, someone to look for in the future.

Scott is a competent director, responsible for some of Hollywood’s biggest action films--“Top Gun” and “Crimson Tide” among them. “Man on Fire” might have enjoyed the longevity of those movies had it been content to just tell its story without the mess of slick, computer visuals to muck up the screen. When it does focus solely on story and character, it’s a riveting, ugly postcard of a Mexico City nobody would want to visit, with the words “Having a rotten time—be glad you’re not here,” scrawled on the back.

Grade: B