"Hombre en LLamas" Great Flick!

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2004)

"Hombre en LLamas" is the title of the movie in Mexico which translates directly into "Man in Flames". The flick is a very refreshing and powerful look at the tired old cliché formula of revenge. This movie came out in the United States in April, 2004. Same as other "revenge" movies like the superb "Kill Bill Vol. 2" and the flawed, but entertaining comic book adaptation "The Punisher". I'm not gonna go into details about the plot, because you all know that Denzel Washington stars as John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who is hired as a bodyguard in Mexico City. His job is to protect Pita, the daughter of the wealthy Mexican industrialist Samuel Ramos. The film looks great, it has an energetic direction by Tony Scott (even though a lot of people didn't like it) and it also has great visuals and awesome setting since it was shot on location in Mexico City.
I have to give props to Brian Helgeland for the great script which is according to our times, since Mexico is on number 2 on the top countries with kidnapping problems. Just below Colombia which has a lot of kidnappings because it is one of the biggest drug suppliers in the planet. Corruption and organized crime has always been a problem in Mexico, and I liked how it was portrayed. Still there are some DISCREPANCIES that I really hated. For example *MINOR SPOILER* When Creasy goes to "The Voice's" house it is certainly a crappy house barely with a roof. That can't be true, kidnappers in Mexico after they have committed a kidnapping successfully and jack a load of cash, they buy houses and cars and they're not discreet at all. Anyway, enough of my ranting. This movie was VERY GOOD. I recommend it to everyone who wants to have a good time. Well acted, well paced, well written and well directed.
***1/2 out of ****