No-nonsense neo-noir...

Rating: 10/10 (9 September 2014)

The often underrated Tony Scott has crafted, in MAN ON FIRE, a truly exceptional, take-no-prisoners neo-noir masterpiece. Denzel Washington as Creasy gives perhaps his finest performance in a career chock full of outstanding performances. Scott was a visual virtuoso whose movies were always worth watching, even when the writing wasn't up to snuff. MAN ON FIRE unfolds logically and, when the s--- hits the fan, it hits the fan HARD. This is the kind of movie I tend to prefer when it comes to the Driven Man out for Revenge: it's uncompromising and, ultimately, very, very satisfying. All things given, the ironic ending is almost inevitable, but it's still hard to take (all things given). I was impressed with MAN ON FIRE when I first saw it; these days, I'm blown away by it.