Excellent rapport between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning - interesting film-making techniques too

Rating: 7/10 (17 December 2004)

Man on Fire is set in Mexico, where kidnapping is an industry  there's one every six hours. Denzel Washington is John Creasy, a burned-out ex-CIA assassin who gets a job as bodyguard to a little girl through an old friend, Christopher Walken.
Gradually the alcoholic Creasy rediscovers life as he befriends Pita (Dakota Fanning) and coaches her in swimming. But when Pita's kidnapped, Creasy snaps, hunting down everyone that profited from the kidnapping, with the help of her mother (Aussie Radha Mitchell), a cop (Giancarlo Giannini) and a journalist.
Man on Fire is a classic revenge thriller, almost Western-like in its moral simplicity. Although there is the odd cliché, it is a disquieting, atmospheric film, thanks to a committed performance from Washington and a strong supporting cast.
Of particular interest are the camera techniques used by director Tony Scott (Enemy of the State, Spy Game) and director of photography Paul Cameron (Swordfish, Gone in Sixty Seconds). They hand-cranked the camera to speed up or slow down movement, used reversal stock to make the colours brighter and shot the film at varying levels of quality, which all serve to increase overall tension and gain insight into Creasy's extreme headspace.
Although there's a slightly weak ending, 24's Jack Bauer would definitely approve. ***½/***** stars.