Above the usual Denzel Washington vehicle

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2006)

There's no denying it, Man on Fire clearly thinks that it's a better film than it is. Tony Scott has obviously tried to make this film appeal to both sets of audiences; namely, those who want to be entertained, and those who want to see 'greatness'. It's safe to say that he hasn't exactly succeeded with this; although it's also safe to say that the movie isn't a complete failure. The film works by presenting two very different halves. We start off with a Leon-esquire plot involving a bodyguard hired to protect a young girl, which then bursts into revenge thriller mode after she is kidnapped. The first half of the movie will appeal more to the 'Oscar' crowd, while the second half is more bent on providing entertainment. I wouldn't say either half is better; the first half is interesting, although it lacks emotion, and the second half is thrilling; but goes out of it's way to show flashy images and Denzel Washington being as nasty as possible. Still, the first half of the film does an excellent job of setting up the second; and considering this is a blockbuster, it's more emotional than you would expect.
I've never been a big fan of Denzel Washington, and it's seems more and more lately that all of his movies are merely vehicles for the 'Oscar winner'. Still, he usually puts in a performance worth watching, and he certainly does that here. Washington's starring role also has the added advantage of the fact that he looks the part he is playing, making the film more believable. Man on Fire has implemented a different way of using subtitles than most films, with the words flashing up all over the screen. I don't usually like gimmicky things like this, but it actually works rather well in this film. Tony Scott is a director that I have come to expect nothing from, as his films are usually made purely for entertainment value, and sometimes don't even deliver that; but Man on Fire is one of his better films over the last few years (although he still hasn't topped 1993's True Romance). The ending of the film is particularly good, and surprisingly emotional as well. I'm not the sort of guy that cries at movies; but I could understand if other people did. On the whole; this isn't a great movie, but it's decent enough and definitely worth viewing. It could have done with being a little shorter, though.