Overrated

Rating: 6/10 (26 June 2006)

Man on Fire consists of a cliché'd script, mediocre acting, horrific editing, and failed attempts at compelling drama.
All of the characters have been seen in countless movies before:
Denzel Washington plays the stoic but lovable bodyguard. Dakota Fanning plays the smart little girl who befriends him (a la Leon, but not as well done). Marc Anthony plays the desperate indebted father (a la Fargo, but not as well done). Radha Mitchell plays the sobbing mother who can't help but be attracted to Denzel's character. Christopher Walken plays an old army buddy (or something of the sort).
Acting: Even with a weak script, Washington and Fanning give a believable performances and have nice chemistry between themselves.
Walken and Washington, on the other hand, have absolutely no chemistry. In their scenes the writing oftentimes feels confused, as if it wants to hint at their shared past but instead alienates them from the audience.
Pacing: Many points in the movie, mainly in the beginning and toward the middle, drag on way too long.
Editing: The film is edited together like an extended music video with very quick jump-cuts, inter-cuts, and other shots that disorient the viewer more than anything else. Solemn scenes where Denzel's character is alone in his room drinking are edited together faster than full blown action sequences.
That said, some of the action scenes are very well done. You can help but smile when you see Denzel shoot 4 people in a row before taking cover behind a car. Him setting up an RPG-7 in an old man's house was another cool moment.
The few musical cues used in the film are cheesy at best. At one point Denzel's character says to the mother "I'm going to kill them all". Immediately we here funky background music cut in. Give me a break.
Even the movie's tagline is a tired cliché: "Revenge is a dish best served cold."
Story (*SPOILER*): The movie became cold once (we thought) Fanning's character had been killed. Showing Denzel's character getting revenge was fun to watch but the emotional link to the characters had been severed at that point.
Then the sad twist ending was a pathetic attempt at tragedy.
Avoid this movie. Watch the trailer and draw your own conclusions from that.
In my version, he kills all the bad guys (Mexican kidnappers), gets the girl (Mitchell's character), and then drives to America with her and her daughter while all the Mexicans at the border chant USA!! USA!!