Revenge and Punishment

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2010)

Man on Fire (2004) takes place in Mexico City where a number of kidnappings have swept through the area. John W. Creasy (Denzel Washington) is an ex-CIA operative/assassin and an alcoholic who visits his old friend Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken) in Mexico City. Rayburn gets Creasy a job being the bodyguard to Samuel and Lisa Ramos' (Marc Anthony and Radha Mitchell) nine-year-old daughter Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning). Pita brings the meaning of life back to Creasy and he develops an affection for her. When Pita is kidnapped and presumed dead, Creasy promises to killing anyone involved in, or profiting from, her abduction.
The theme of this film is revenge and punishment. Creasy is willing to give his life to punish those responsible for Pita's kidnapping. In some way, Creasy is also punishing himself for the terrible acts he committed while working for the CIA. This idea is supported in a few different forms. The first is Creasy's constant drinking and the lack of interest in life. Secondly, Creasy tries to commit suicide. This scene is lead by Creasy making aware that he was once religious, but now is not, by finishing a verse from the Bible that Sister Anna, Pita's teacher, started. Creasy then hurts Pita's feelings by being cold to her in the car. That night Creasy drinks heavily, wondering if God will ever forgive him for what he has done in his CIA days. Creasy then loads a single bullet into his gun, puts the barrel on his head, and pulls the trigger. However, the bullet did not fire (almost like faith) and it is from this point on Creasy grows closer to Pita. Lastly, Creasy sacrifice's himself for Pita's safe exchange and knows that he will ultimately die as a result.
Man on Fire is similar to Taken (2008), starring Liam Neeson. In both films the main characters, John W. Creasy and Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), are retired government agents and have extensive skills in killing. Pita and Kim (Maggie Grace), Mills' daughter, both are kidnapped and Creasy and Mills go after the ones who are responsible, showing no mercy.
The techniques used in Man on Fire play a significant role in supporting the theme. There are two prominent styles or techniques in the film when transitions take place. One style is a very calm, "normal like" transition between shot-to-shot and scene-to-scene. The other is very frazzled, confusing, even violent style for the shot-to-shot and scene-to-scene transitions. The audience is actually exposed to this violent technique of editing in the beginning of the film before the title is displayed. The introductory scene shows a man and woman walking peacefully together through a crowd of people in Mexico City. The transitions between shots are made up of flashes and multiple images of the same shot, layered on top of one another. Each "layer" is at a different zoom position creating a chilling "ghost" effect. The there are church bells ringing, children laughing, "swooshes" sounds, thunder, and a choir singing lightly during these frazzled cuts. Then an industrial music track cuts in stopping all previous sounds just as a car pulls up and men violently kidnap the man who was walking with the woman. The music is somewhat loader than the previous sounds and there is screaming in the background. The kidnappers through the man into the car and drive off. Then the title, Man on Fire, is displayed.
After the introductory scene, the film is shot in a more normal manner with straightforward transitions and no dramatically sounds. However, this all changes the moment Pita is kidnapped. The cuts from shot-to- shot and scene-to-scene become more dark and violent reflecting Creasy's state of mind. In the scene that the first person Creasy captures and tortures for information, the same industrial music from the beginning of the film starts playing, indicating the violence that will follow. This scene is the "tipping point" of the film. From here, the film is much more violent than the first half. Creasy is on a one-way path to get revenge on those involved in Pita's kidnapping. As the Mexican police detective questions Rayburn to better understand Creasy, Rayburn tells the Mexican police detective "a man can be an artist, Creasy's art is death... he's about to paint his masterpiece."