Denzel Washington Delivers But The Movie Doesn't

Rating: 9/10 (4 August 2013)

Man on Fire is an action thriller that is based on A. J. Quinnell's 1980 novel of the same title.It stars Denzel Washington as John Creasy, a despondent former CIA operative/Force Recon Marine officer turned bodyguard, who goes on a revenge rampage after his charge, nine-year-old Pita Ramos is abducted in Mexico. Among the supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini and Mickey Rourke.This adaptation was directed by Tony Scott, from a screenplay written by Brian Helgeland.
John Creasy, a burned-out former CIA operative and assassin, is slowly killing himself with the bottle. Still, when another fellow retired spook recruits him for a bodyguard job, he reluctantly accepts. A Mexican industrialist, Samuel Ramos and his wife Lisa are parents of Creasy's 9-year-old charge, Pita.When Creasy arrives on the scene, people are in a panic in Mexico City, where 24 abductions have occurred in just one six-day period, 70 percent of them resulting in the murder of the victim.Ramos is going through a financial crisis, and can't afford regular bodyguards. So he hires Creasy at a discount, because despite his impressive resume, it's clear that the man is a drunk.
The first part is all about redemption. In it,we see Creasy is the typical world-weary cynic who wants no complications in life. He just wants to do his job and be left alone.Then slowly, bit by bit, he's won over by the sparkly, bright-eyed optimism of his charming young charge as their friendship starts. One has probably seen this type of movie before especially made by child stars.
The second is extremely violent and it's all about revenge. It all becomes tedious after a while because you know the little girl is going to be kidnapped, you just don't know when. Now the film turns into a violent action film as revenge becomes the central character. Creasy nearly dies during the kidnapping, but when he recovers he hooks up with a Mexico City newspaper reporter and a former head of Interpol, who give him the inside information he needs to track down the organized gang behind the kidnappings.Basically what they're doing is helping a vigilante who can kill at will and not have to worry about the niceties of Mexican law.This part is characterized by flashy camera moves and the style and pace that director Tony Scott is known for in his movies like Spy Game,Enemy Of The State and Top Gun as he pull out all the stops using multiple hand-held cameras, different film stocks, slash edits, and even a hand-cranked camera at times to slow down or speed up the movement.It's also got all the Scott touches as he fills the screen with lots of blood 'n' guts action accompanied by gigantic explosions which are all wonderfully photographed.
Obviously,Denzel Washington delivers in terms of quality acting as we are absorbed by his character and we are left to believe that the relationship he slowly develops with the young Mexico City girl he's hired to protect. But then the strong opening levels out into a long series of action scenes, and the double-reverse ending works more like a gimmick than a resolution. In summary,both parts stand up well on their own, but a person who wants to see one kind of movie may not like the other feeling Man Of Fire is two different movies that is suited for two types of audiences.