John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a burned-out former CIA operative with a tortured past. He has, at the request of a friend, taken a job as a bodyguard. And when the daughter (Dakota Fanning) of the family he swore to protect, Heaven help those who kidnapped her, because no force on Earth can stop a “Man on Fire.”

CRITIQUE

Tony Scott’s Man on Fire is, without a doubt, one of the most brutal films I have ever seen.  Denzel Washington gives a wonderful performance as Creasy, a man who’s past (which we never see, we only have a few lines of dialogue that hint at how much evil Creasy has seen and done.)  And when the revenge story kicks in, we see why Creasy doesn’t believe God will forgive him for his sins.  This is not a film for the squeamish.

However, the film is not just about graphic violence.  The film is, at heart, a tender love story between a man who has nothing to live for and a girl who shows him the way out of the darkness.  The interaction between Creasy and Pita (Fanning) is wonderful and believable.  At first Creasy doesn’t want anything to do with the girl, he is just her bodyguard, nothing more.  But as time goes on, he starts to open up to her and soon he becomes a surrogate father, as her real father is never there for her.  And by the time she is kidnapped, we believe that Creasy would stop at nothing to get her back.

Scott’s choices in composition are wonderful, although on occasion a little oppressive.  The use of reversal stock and cross process creates a reality that is tangible and yet somewhat surreal.  The composition really allows the audience to accept Creasy brutality, because we are given a brutal reality from the very beginning.

Is this film for everyone? Not really.  While the story is essentially a love story that ends with the redemption of Creasy, the brutal violent revenge might throw some viewers off.  The cast is strong, Scott’s direction is fantastic, and the story keeps you on edge the whole time.  It’s a wonderful film.

THE VIDEO

It’s very difficult to rate the transfer because of the intentional use of grain as well as the different color and lighting choices made in the film.  The film does look wonderful. There is no digital artifacting or any problem along those lines. As far as I can tell, it’s a good transfer.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround and 5.1 DTS, both of which sound wonderful.  The dialogue is never lost under the sound effects (unless where necessary.)

THE EXTRAS

Commentary by Tony Scott – Tony Scott talks about how any why he made the choices he made in the film. A very good track.

Commentary by Producer Lucas Foster, Screenwriter Brian Helgeland, and Actress Dakota Fanning – Not as good as Scott’s commentary, but an okay track. Fanning isn’t the best choice to get the actor’s perspective on things (but she does hold her own.)

FINAL THOUGHTS

A very good film, but the lack of extras is a shame. While the commentaries are good, it would’ve been nice to have had in depth interviews with the cast and crew or maybe an interview with the novelist A.J. Quinnell.