Hard-drinking, burnt-out ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel
Washington) has given up on life - until his friend Rayburn
(Christopher Walken) gets him a job as a bodyguard to
nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning). Bit by bit, Creasy
begins to reclaim his soul, but when Pita is kidnapped, Creasy
unleashes a firestorm of apocalyptic vengeance against everyone
responsible.
CRITIQUE
Man on Fire
is a tough-as-nails drama that features great performances by
Washington, Fanning and Radha Mitchell (playing Pita's mother), a
terrific script by Brian Helgeland that puts characterization and
action to the forefront simultaneously, tense and stylistic
direction by Tony Scott, great locations in and outside of Mexico
City, a fiery and dramatic musical score by Harry
Gregson-Williams, and overall very good production values.
The pairing of
Washington and Fanning works very well for this story and their
friendship comes off as realistically; Creasy really cares about
Pita and Pita looks to him not just as a bodyguard but perhaps a
father figure as well. In terms of the visuals, Scott and director
of photography Paul Cameron chose a variety of different camera
compositions with several different stock, shutters, camera
speeds, etc. This works effectively in some scenes, but after a
while it becomes a little intrusive and annoying. The
cinematography itself is great.
While it's a bit
long at 145 minutes, Man on Fire never lost my interest. In
fact, the story is very involving and it's it very interesting to
see how Washington leads the viewer inside his dark character; he
may be a vicious personality when he takes revenge on the people
who kidnapped Pita but there is something likeable and honest
about him, too. The supporting performances are very good as well,
including fine acting from Rachel Ticotin who plays a reporter,
Marc Anthony as Pita's father, Mickey Rourke as his lawyer,
Giancarlo Giannini as a cop, and Christopher Walken in a mostly
small but good role.
THE VIDEO
Fox presents Man
on Fire in 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen. This is the same
transfer as on the first DVD - it's a crisp presentation with
great colors and few flaws. Optional subtitles include English and
Spanish.
THE AUDIO
Fox presents Man
on Fire in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and 5.1 DTS soundtracks.
The presentation is the same as on the previous DVD - very good.
Spanish and French Dolby dub tracks are also available.
THE EXTRAS
Disc 1:
The two audio
commentaries from the first DVD are carried over. Tony Scott's
commentary is informative and includes good details on the
movie. The second track with producer Lucas Foster,
screenwriter Brian Helgeland, and actress Dakota Fanning is
also interesting and informative.
Disc 2:
Vengeance is
Mine: Reinventing Man on Fire is a 73-minute
documentary on the making of the movie divided into five chapters.
It relies heavily upon interviews with Tony Scott, Lucas Foster,
Paul Cameron, and the film's technical advisor (who tells some
interesting stories) to give the viewer an overview of the
production from the origin of the project to shooting on location
in Mexico. There is plenty of on-set footage where we see Scott
directing the actors/action and much more. All of the actors are
interviewed as well, but I mostly cared about what Washington,
Fanning, and Ticotin had to say. The stories from the production
are all interesting, including a very harsh one when Scott and a
few production people (including a bodyguard) scouted locations
late at night and were threatened by a gang of older kids with
Uzi's. Another story comes up during the "The Business of
Kidnapping" chapter in which the technical advisor explains the
business essentially. Harsh stuff. A "play all" option is
available.
15 Deleted Scenes
including an alternate ending (it's well done but also rather
depressing) are available totaling 32 minutes. There are several
unused subplots in here that are interesting to watch. Tony Scott
provides optional commentary for the scenes, which can be played
individually or using the "play all" option. Descriptive title
cards introduce each scene, which is a nice touch.
Pita's Abduction
is a multi-angle scene study that breaks down into three
components: script excerpts, Scott's storyboards, and a final
composite of the scene (view each angle separately or as one
composite shot). Scott offers optional commentary. A good extra.
Rounding out the
extras are trailers for Man on Fire (3 of them) and
other Fox titles, four TV spots, a music video, and
a photo gallery.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This Collector's
Edition of Man on Fire is the DVD to own. If you own the
previous release, you should upgrade. On the other hand, Fox
should've let buyers know of the double-dip when the first DVD hit
stores last September. Why these extras were not available
originally is unacceptable and Fox should be a little ashamed, but
either way it's great to have them now.
