I wanted to like it more...

Rating: 5/10 (24 April 2004)

There are some great moments and great dialog in this remake of the 1987 film starring Scott Glenn. Denzel is awesome. Dakota is wonderful. The entire supporting cast brings an amazing level of legitimacy to what is otherwise another revenge flick.
There are also some very creative film and editing techniques on display here, but they often become distracting (think MTV with a more bleached out look...but out into hyperdrive!), and there's no comparing the original's more satisfying conclusion to the remake's far more solemn and melancholy one. In fact, had the ending been better, I would have easily ranked it among the best of the year, and would want to watch again. As it stands, I don't think I'll be seeing this again anytime soon. **MINOR SPOILERS** The final scenes dealing with the last baddie on Creasy's list shown right before the credits seems clearly an after thought. It's as if the filmmakers looked at how sad the ending was, and decided to tack on a little extra to give the audience more of a gratifying end. It seems very clear this black and white ten second scene was done in reshoots, shooting two actors separate at the last minute in someone's backyard (well, it looked that way!) and then quickly slapped it together. Many will also find the outcome of Creasy's character very unsatisfying. **END SPOILERS**
Walken pops in with some memorable moments and then we never see his character again! Then there is the subject of little Dakota. First, she was amazing. She truly is a gifted actress, but were there no other physically more similar actresses to the Spanish singing crooner Marc Anthony? Why wasn't she Hispanic? It's a strangely white washed bit of casting that along with some other plot holes, it does hurt the credibility of the film.
As it stands, Dakota and Denzel have real chemistry, there are some truly satisfying "revenge" moments, a great supporting cast (Walken delivers a very strong understated performance...but where'd he go later?) and some inspired (although often distracting) visual flair. You'll be quoting the movie for days later with it's memorable dialog, but many will not be satisfied with the end (the audience I saw it with didn't seem to happy). So far, of all the revenge flicks out right now, KILL BILL is still the best game in town. (P.S., try watching the original MAN ON FIRE with Scott Glenn, Danny Aiello and Joe Pesci. It's different, but the ending's better)