The Redemption Of A Lost Soul

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2017)

Superficially, this movie is an action-packed tale of betrayals, kidnapping and revenge but it's also a story that features some unexpected twists, some well-drawn characters and a special relationship that contributes to the redemption of a "lost soul". Brilliantly written, acted and directed, "Man On Fire" is gripping, powerful and surprisingly moving at times and it's these qualities that make it so good and so enjoyable to watch.
Ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel Washington) arrives in Mexico City to visit his old comrade-in-arms (and fellow assassin) Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken) who runs a successful security business and Rayburn puts him in touch with local businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) who wants to hire a bodyguard for his 9-year-old daughter Pita (Dakota Fanning). The burnt-out, depressed and heavily alcohol-dependent Creasy is perfectly open with Ramos about his drink problem but is, nevertheless, promptly hired after a short interview.
The children of wealthy families in Mexico City are prime targets for the organised gangs of kidnappers who seem to operate with impunity and demand huge ransoms for the return of the children. When Creasy carries out his duties, chauffeuring Pita to school etc., she tries to engage him in conversation but he resists, preferring to keep their relationship entirely professional. Over time however, he finds it impossible to remain so impersonal with her and they steadily bond when he coaches her to success in the swimming races that she enters. During this period, Creasy becomes less despondent and even starts to show some positive emotions but this healing period is suddenly brought to an end one day when he and Pita are ambushed and a shoot-out ends with her having been abducted and him having been hospitalised after being shot numerous times.
Miguel Manzano (Giancarlo Gianni), a high-ranking agent in the Mexican Federal Investigation Agency, soon arranges for Creasy to be removed to another location to continue his recuperation because two of the four gang-members that he'd killed during the shoot-out were corrupt cops and attempts to kill him were therefore highly likely. Samuel Ramos' attorney, Jordan Kalfus (Mickey Rourke) then takes a leading role in the arrangements for transferring the $10 million ransom to Pita's kidnappers but during the exchange, the money gets hijacked by another gang called "La Hermandad". As a consequence of this, Pita's family are informed by her kidnappers that she's been killed and Creasy immediately decides to take revenge on everyone who was involved in the girl's abduction.
The quality of this movie's screenplay ensures that the action never loses its clarity despite all the complications, corruption and betrayals involved and similar skill is shown in the ways in which various characters are introduced and developed. The dialogue is also equally impressive with numerous lines which instantly seem to become memorable (e.g. "the bullet always tells the truth").
Denzel Washington portrays Creasy's despair about things he'd done in the past with tremendous power and credibility and his scenes with Dakota Fanning are terrific. Their exchanges provide some of the movie's best moments not least because of how measured and natural Fanning's performance is. Her present to him of a St Jude (the patron saint of lost causes) medallion is also particularly appropriate and poignant, as is the way in which he obviously values it so highly.
This movie's stunts are spectacular and well choreographed by Director Tony Scott whose visual style so effectively reflects the fractured, damaged and unstable nature of the city in which the story's set. Overall, "Man On Fire" entertains so strongly because of its technical brilliance, its screenplay and its great performances.