This dish is definitely served cold...

Rating: 8/10 (16 March 2011)

Denzel Washington ("Creasy") plays a retired alcoholic assassin struggling with finding a purpose in life. He retorts to Mexico where his friend Christopher Walken ("Rayburn") helps him pacify himself by suggesting he work as a bodyguard, protecting the daughter of an affluent American family played by Dakota Fanning ("Pita") from an organized criminal syndicate, later determined to be controlled by member of local law enforcement. After failing to separate work from personal life in his protective relationship with Pita, Creasy becomes her surrogate father after her paternal father, played by Marc Anthony ("Samuel"), pays no heed to her needs for affection. In fact, Samuel's actions are quite the opposite of love for his daughter when he hires the criminal syndicate to kidnap Pita, holding her for ransom in an attempt to cash in on receiving half of the insurance-paid ransom. After the meeting to receive the pay-off is compromised resulting in the death of the kidnapping ringleader's brother, Pita is killed. Creasy, weak and tired after being critically wounded from defending Pita from the kidnappers, vows to avenge Pita's death doing what he knows how to do bestassassinate.
After retrieving the license plate information from Pita's diary, where she took notice of a car previously following them, Creasy learns of the location of one of the kidnappers. Through torture and callous, Creasy learns who is responsible for Pita's kidnapping. After interrogating the president of the criminal syndicate organization, who is also the police commissioner, Creasy learns of Samuel's involvement in the kidnapping. Samuel's secret becomes public resulting in his wife (played by Radha Mitchell as "Lisa") demanding his suicide or death; suicide is the chosen path. Creasy, still searching for everyone involved in Pita's kidnapping and death, locates the house of the kidnapping ring leader, Daniel Sanchez ("The Voice") only to find his pregnant wife and other brother. Creasy holds the family hostage in exchange for Daniel himself. Daniel, offering to exchange "a life for a life" offers Pita in exchange for Creasy. Confused and emotional to learn Pita is still alive, Creasy's emotional journey to avenge Pita's ends when he exchanges himself for the safe return of Pita to her mother. After being driven off to the mountains to face a certainty of death by Daniel himself, Creasy peacefully dies, succumbing to the gunshot wounds he received in the initial battle to defend Pita. Through heartache, triumph, and horror and happiness, this film represents an accurate depiction of the monstrous kidnapping's that swept through Mexico and resulted in the senseless yet profitable business of family destruction.