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Man On Fire
2004
Remorseful former mercenary-turned-bodyguard Creasy (Denzel Washington) is hired by a wealthy family to protect their 10-year-old daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), from a rash of Mexico City kidnappings. But when the child he befriends is kidnapped while under his watch, Creasy - aided by his only true friend, Rayburn (.. Read more
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell |
|---|---|
| Director | Tony Scott |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
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Man On Fire
Remorseful former mercenary-turned-bodyguard Creasy (Denzel Washington) is hired by a wealthy family to protect their 10-year-old daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), from a rash of Mexico City kidnappings. But when the child he befriends is kidnapped while under his watch, Creasy - aided by his only true friend, Rayburn (Christopher Walken) - begins to systematically unleash vengeance on those responsible.
| Starring | Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke |
|---|---|
| Director | Tony Scott |
| Studio | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 20 mins Blu-ray: 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Action/Adventure, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English Blu-ray: English |
| Hearing-impaired | English |
| Released | DVD: not available Blu-ray: 09 Feb 2009 Production year: 2004 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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In this lengthy but often gripping thriller, Denzel Washington excels as an alcoholic, burned-out former US government operative, who reluctantly takes a job in Mexico City as the bodyguard to a young girl (the endearing Dakota Fanning) from a wealthy family. Director Tony Scott hits the right notes early on when Fanning's charm begins to win over her emotionally closed-off protector. Once the girl is kidnapped, however, this becomes a drawn-out revenge thriller that degenerates into a showcase of imaginative ultra-violence that has Washington systematically hunting down the perpetrators. Though the action is well choreographed, Scott's excessive reliance on gimmicky visual touches is distracting, undermining what could have been a compelling story.
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Mean-spirited revenge thriller with a hero who possesses the sensibility of a cornered rat; the fussy direction and editing are a welcome distraction from the vile happenings on screen.
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Most helpful member's review
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95 out of 106 people found this review helpful
Denzel Washington in his usual form
As usual with Denzel Washington, you get an engaging story (certainly by action film standards, anyway).
This is not as good as the gripping and thrilling Fallen, my favourite Denzel Washington movie, but it is still well worth watching - assuming violence doesn't put you off. There is a lot of violence, mostly implied and out of shot, but some of it is not left to the imagination. Given the subject matter (a washed up (ex-special forces) body guard working in Mexico City whose charge - a little girl - is kidnapped) I think the violence was inevitable.
The film was perhaps a touch long, which slowed the pace, and occasionally lapses into sentimentality, with one or two aspects to the story which lack credibility, or I would have given it five stars.
Definitely a must see, though. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Easy to watch thriller
Denzel Washington turns in an acceptable performance in this medium paced movie. The plot twists are unsurprising and the temptation must have been there to turn this into a Rambo-esque rampage, but Washington's depiction of an assassin who has no qualms about achieving his goals is chillingly believable. Everything else about this movie is solid, but not gripping and it's very much the sort of movie you'd be happy to watch on a rainy Saturday evening with a few beers and some nibbles.
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- mrtgrady from Fareham
- Posted 30 Dec 2005 02:59
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News and features
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"First-class genre fun" in Deja Vu
- 23 Nov 2006
"First-class genre fun" in Deja Vu Among the cinema releases in the US this weekend is Deja Vu, an action movie starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott. The movie, which sees Washington travel back in time to try and prevent a murder, has been labelled as "first-class genre fun" by Los Angeles Times' critic Kenneth Turan. Deja Vu sees Scott and Washington team up once again, as they previously worked together in 2004's crime thriller, Man on Fire. Tony Scott -... Read more
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