Denzel On Fire

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2004)

Director Tony Scott's heavily stylized remake of an inferior 1987 film is essentially a two part drama: protagonist Denzel Washington, as an ex-CIA/mercenary type, happens upon a purpose to look forward to living again, instead of looking backward at his past, and once he aligns himself with that purpose, he makes decisions to preserve it. Washington is befriended by little Dakota Fanning, who is always believable here and never cutesy. They form an unusual bond due to her curiosity and his duty to protect her. In the second half of the film, Washington dispatches a multitude of baddies with methods that haven't been utilized in some time. He becomes a man on fire after living with subdued, emotional indifference for a long time. The problem is we don't know enough about his background to understand what brought him to that point. However, it doesn't take much for us to understand his new-found redemption in his relationship with Dakota Fanning as Pita. The film stretches credibility somewhat in the second half when Washington goes on his rampage, and many films like this become too formulaic and systematic in their execution. This film is not really an action/revenge film; it's a film about finding a purpose, fulfilling one's duty, and finding redemption. As such, the ending will be disappointing to those audience members that view this as solely an action/revenge film. The film is peopled with several good supporting actors in small roles: Christopher Walken, Rachel Ticotin, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, and Mickey Rourke among them. All of them lend good support in a labyrinthine plot that redefines the already known corruption of Mexican officials. The film is both extremely sensitive and violent in turns, which is unusual for this type of subject matter. It's also rare to see an African-American protagonist, especially in this kind of film, that doesn't succumb to behavior and/or personality quirks that are typical of his culture or race. Not without some faults, including its possible over-length and music video-like moments, but still a very entertaining, intense film. *** of 4 stars.