Denzel is on FIRE

Rating: 8/10 (17 March 2005)

Tony Scott's newest contribution to the world of cinema is truly a masterpiece.
His choice of main star, Denzel Washington, was solid and reassuring--who best to take the lead role than one of the greatest actors the world has ever seen.
But Dakota Fanning saved it from the standard action/vengeance category. Too many films have relied on child stars and failed simply because they are not believable. Dakota broke the trend by truly grabbing the viewer by the heart and soul and wrenching them when catastrophe finally lands at her doorstep.
As for the film-making process itself, Tony Scott excels. He took the recently favoured "shaky-camera/documentary" style and elevated it to a level of artistic expression that anyone else could only dream to achieve. Harsh contrasts and ever-moving subtitles flow seamlessly as emotions run high and morals are soon flung out a Meican window.
In the first half we are treated to a heart-warming, but not annoyingly mushy, relationship between Washington and Fanning, as they both learn to look to each other for what they both needed the most: a father-daughter union.
The second half is a brutal escapade of vengeance and retribution, as Washington inflicts all the pain and rage that the viewer feel with him upon the perpetrators of the horrible act. His journey through the underbelly of Mexico is harrowing, his actions violent and pitiless--and yet we, as the companion on this trek, know they fully deserve the suffering they endure.
The climax is the perfect ending to the perfect movie. Heart-stopping, tense, depressing and yet hopeful---most importantly it is REAL and through that realism we finally exit the theatres knowing Washington is an everyday hero: breaking the rules, taking lives, but for an undeniably good cause.
Downside: thanks to the ever-burgeoning business side of cinema, ads have revealed the hinted-at but not obvious twist halfway through that spurns his quest for attack. This almost makes you wish he'd GET ON WITH IT, rather than allow us o enjoy the growing bond between father-figure and lonely child.
I recommend this film to anyone with a heart.