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Man On Fire Movie Review - DVD - Buy Movies - Rent MoviesThis is what a real revenge flick is all about. Death, destruction, anger and retribution. You will see that revenge is a dish best served cold. This is a gritty, dark, grisly movie. Definitely not one for the kids!
Denzel Washington plays John Creasy, a former assassin that has been hired to protect a nine year old girl, Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning), due to the wave of kidnappings sweeping Mexico. Creasy, who initially is unable to put up with her, starts to feel differently about Pita and after having no reason to live forms the equivalent of a father-daughter relationship with her and starts “living” again. However, the Ramos family and Creasy’s worlds are crushed when Pita is kidnapped and in the process leaves Creasy for dead. He then goes on a one man mission to heap vengeance on anyone who is involved in or benefiting financially from her abduction.
Tony Scott has delivered his best film since the first-rate True Romance. The direction is second to none and visually this will take movies to another level. Grainy and hazed cinematography, some obscure camera work coupled with what can only be described as ground breaking subtitles show Scott’s versatility and how much hard work and thought went into this movie.
With maturity beyond her years, Dakota Fanning puts in the best child performance since Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense. Her portrayal as the little girl who loves Creasy and sees him as a brand new father figure is fantastic and will take your breath away.
However the main man in this picture is Denzel Washington who is undoubtedly the hottest property and possibly the best actor in Hollywood at the minute. Film after film he puts in marvellous performances showing he really is on top of his game. He allows the character of Creasy to breathe and expand from a depressive and sometimes pathetic alcoholic with no reason to live to a man who is able to experience a different kind of love allowing him to live his life once more to a man who has lost everything and hell bent on revenge.
With an excellent supporting cast consisting of Radha Mitchell (Finding Neverland, Pitch Black), Marc Anthony (Bringing Out The Dead), Mickey Rourke and the consistently brilliant Christopher Walken, (who doesn’t play a baddie) all contribute to an already brilliant film. The wonderful Robert Rodriguez style music (see Kill Bill Vol. 2 DVD special features) only adds to the authenticity of feeling that you are in Mexico listening to the Spanish guitars, eating Tamales or downing Tequila.
Man on Fire is a violent movie that not only has action but emotion and character development. In addition to this, Man on fire can also boast that it is, as mentioned earlier, a brilliant movie. It is very rare that a film of this particular genre has all these elements. It took Quentin Tarantino two movies to achieve this feat!!!! This picture sees both Washington and Scott at their very best and with these two on top form it was hard to see this film fail. Being one of the best movies of its kind, miss this at your peril.
Leon Nicholson
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