Over-indulgent mess

Rating: 3/10 (24 April 2004)

The first 50 minutes or so of this film are pretty decent as we see Creasy (Denzel Washington) getting to know Pita (Dakota Fanning), the kid he's guarding. The excessive direction by Tony Scott is tolerable until then because the Creasy-Pita story is engaging.
But then the film unravels completely. Scott, who apparently has no interest whatsoever in maintaining a shot longer than a few seconds, over-directs to the point of it being utterly annoying and ridiculous. The excessive jump cuts and flashy cinematography (which really doesn't work here) become more than mere distractions. Scott might be trying to prove he can evoke the film-making styles of, say, "21 Grams," "City of God" or even Soderbergh's "Traffic," but here it just comes off as over-indulgent. What exactly is Scott trying to prove or express when he not only provides English subtitles for Spanish dialogue, but also has English subtitles when the characters speak English?
It's hard to imagine Brian Helgeland, who did such a terrific job adapting Dennis Lehane's novel "Mystic River" for Clint Eastwood, penned this adapted screenplay, too - another revenge story. But whereas "Mystic River" packed an emotional wallop with believable characters, "Man on Fire" just has characters going through the motions. There's nothing here to keep us hooked. That might be Scott's, not Helgeland's, fault. Under the guidance of another director, someone who cares more about story and less about style, this might have turned into a gripping film.
Washington tries hard to rise above the thin material with which he's working. Fanning does an admirable job, too. She's cute, likable and definitely clicks in her scenes with Washington. Giancarlo Giannini and Rachel Ticotin build a nice chemistry between them, but none of the actors in this muddled mess is able to overcome the rather tepid story.
The film is about 50 minutes too long. Toward the end, this film really begins to drag. There are twists to the plot, but many can be anticipated long before they happen. As for one very crucial twist, not only is it predictable, but it doesn't make much sense if you think about it carefully, especially if you consider how parents might normally behave.
"Man on Fire" just winds up being a nasty, noisy exercise masquerading as stylish filmmaking. If you want to enjoy Washington, you're better off renting "Glory," "Much Ado About Nothing" or "Malcolm X."
There must have been something in this script that attracted Washington to this movie. What that is, I haven't the foggiest idea. He might want to be a bit more discriminating about the roles he picks. Though, the trailers shown at the screening I attended included Washington in "The Manchurian Candidate." What would possess someone, Jonathan Demme included, to remake that masterpiece and set it in contemporary times is beyond me.