Man On Fire (DVD)

Man On Fire is a Crime thriller movie starring Denzel Washington. I first saw the movie when it came out to rent on DVD as I am a huge fan of Denzel. His films are always action packed and have a great storyline so I didn’t think I would be disappointed with this. The front cover of the DVD was pretty eye catching with a huge picture of Denzel in the centre surrounded by fire and you can see a small girl hiding behind him. The words were bold I thought ...
...happened to her.
Man on Fire does have a highly respected cast list so the representation of the film should and was very high. Denzel is a brilliant actor and he goes through many different emotions in the piece which switch rapidly. His character shows elements of being weak at the start, this is not meant in the literal sense but he is mentally depressed. He plays an emotional and action packed role which he never fails on. The friendship ... more

Man On Fire is a Crime thriller movie starring Denzel Washington. I first saw the movie when it came out to rent on DVD as I am a huge fan of Denzel. His films are always action packed and have a great storyline so I didn’t think I would be disappointed with this. The front cover of the DVD was pretty eye catching with a huge picture of Denzel in the centre surrounded by fire and you can see a small girl hiding behind him. The words were bold I thought the title of the film was simple and memorable.
As mentioned one reason I was attracted to the film was because of Denzel but as well as this it also stars uprising star Dakota Fanning. The young girl as appeared in many other successful Hollywood films and I think she is a brilliant actress for her age. I now currently own the film on DVD and have watched it several times. In my opinion the film is defiantly one you cannot miss.

~ INFO ~

Director- Tony Scott
Tony has produced and directed many huge blockbusters and several other films including Denzel Washington. Tony is also brother to famous director Ridley Scott so it gives him a high standard of respect.
For those who are not familiar with his work, Tony has directed many known films some including-
‘Déjà Vu’ (2006), ‘Domino’ (2005) and ‘Enemy of the State’ (1998).

Writers- A.J Quinnell – Novel
Brian Helgeland- Screenplay

Distributed- 20th Century Fox
Release date- 8 October 2004 (UK)
Runtime- 146 Mins
Certificate- 18

~ PLOT ~

John Creasey (Washington) is a CIA agent who does small jobs around Mexico City. Crime has risen and gangs are now looking at kidnapping rich children and asking for very high ransoms. Samuel Ramos is a high class businessman and decides to hire John to be his daughter’s bodyguard. Even though John is reluctant to be a bodyguard he needs money so takes the offer onboard. Just as he starts to form a bond with the nine year old girl Pita, they he is gunned down in the street and Pita is taken by dangerous gang members. John recovers but can you save the girl in time before the gang refuses to give her back and there is much more reason why the gang has chosen the family which will affect very important people.

~ CAST ~

- Main Characters –

Denzel Washington – John Creasey
John seems to be a troubled but hard working man. He has had a hard past and drinks a lot to block out his problems. He doesn’t like to connect with people and thinks it’s easier to be on his own but this changes when he becomes more involved with the Ramos family. Pita likes him very much and she gives him a bond he never thought he’d have again - friendship.
Denzel is a huge actor in Hollywood but for those who do not know who he is, Denzel has worked on many great films including- ‘Déjà Vu’ (2006), ‘American Gangster’ (2007) and ‘Training Day’ (2001).

Dakota Fanning- Pita Ramos
Pita is a very spoilt but intelligent girl. She is neglected by her parents and seems to be lonely even though she has everything she wants. She has a strong mind and is very brave. The friendship she builds with John is very sweet. I really liked her character.
Dakota is an uprising child star and has worked with many great actors. She has been featured in other productions like- ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005), ‘Hide and Seek’ (2005) and ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (2003).

- Other Characters

Gustavo Sanchez Parra- Daniel Sanchez
Marc Anthony- Samuel Ramos
Radha Mitchell – Lisa Ramos
Christopher Walken- Rayburn
Giancarlo Giannini – Manzano

~ OPINIONS ~

Cast and Characters

The characters and acting were well thought of and done. All of the characters fitted the parts and there was a great development in them. John is the character that develops the most in the film and we really get involved in his life and emotional feelings. As the protagonist he is the main focus but the film does show the progress of other characters especially Pita. We also connect with her and feel really involved in what’s happened to her.
Man on Fire does have a highly respected cast list so the representation of the film should and was very high. Denzel is a brilliant actor and he goes through many different emotions in the piece which switch rapidly. His character shows elements of being weak at the start, this is not meant in the literal sense but he is mentally depressed. He plays an emotional and action packed role which he never fails on. The friendship when John is telling her stories to get her asleep. He soon protects her as his own.
All of the other characters are just as good. Sanchez is a believable bad guy and really every character performs flawless, very talented actors.

Mise En Scene

The whole look and atmosphere of the film was pretty good but some parts
I think let the film down abit. The film is quite realistic and the gangs are pretty terrifying. Each scene was thought of in detail and there were many different locations to keep you interested. Mexico City even though is a dangerous and unsafe place is contrasted with the look. The city is very sunny
It has a yellowish tint to it which is a great look and I don’t know whether this was to shock you but with the way the scenery looked all lit up and merry when Pita is taken, the scene happens so fast it makes the event very real. Mexico City is shown as cold and unsympathetic and many of the streets are pretty plain and quiet. It does have a very eerie feel to it which is right for the kidnapping which happens in a normal street.
The film is violently brutal but has beautiful message of loyalty and friendship.

- SP/FX

There weren’t any major special effects but the camera work and cuts added dramatically in the fast action. The shaky cam was a great effect on the hand to hand combat as you feel close up to the fighting.
The coloured filters were a nice touch and I think made Mexico City look deprived and gritty even though it was used slightly over the top and half way through the film it does becoming slightly annoying but I was so involved in the plot I didn’t take much notice.
The violence was nicely done. When he is gunned down there is a real sense of coldness around the street and the amount of blood and the brilliant acting made this look very real.
The film also uses flashbacks and over jerky shots which is good to have a variety of effects in a film but was a little over the top.

- Narrative

The story was good It was simple it is about a kidnapping and revenge. There were great sub plots to support this story including the friendship of Dakota and Pita, a love interest with John and Lisa and the gang life in Mexico.
The film was very emotional with Pita and John’s characters facing devastation. When John is gunned down Dakota really acts superbly and you really see the distraught terror on Pita’s face when she realises John is going to die. The bond is shown where John will do anything to save her.
It is a very believable and remarkable story and even though the film is over two hours long I didn’t’ really get bored at all as all the action made it interesting.
I also liked the story between the parents and John. Pita’s wealthy father Samuel has no relationship with his daughter as his work comes before anything which is I think can be common against wealthy families. She craves for his attention but then seeks a father bond with John instead.
Being based on a novel some events in the film are based on factual stories. Kidnapping amongst rich families are common and is seen in many films before this. It is a horrible cold yet truthful view of today’s world with gangs and terrorism. The film is pretty hard hitting at times so those with a weak stomach may find it hard to watch. It is a parent’s worse nightmare, kidnap of their children and I think it shows the harsh threats parents have to face to protecting their children.

~ EXTRAS~

Facts

Filming Locations- California, Texas, Mexico and Italy.

~ DVD and Availability ~
I brought the DVD from play.com a few weeks ago for a bargain price of £3.99. Now it stands you can buy a single disc version for £4.99 and a two disc special feature for £5.99.

The special features include-

• Disc 1:
• Audio commentary from director Tony Scott
• Deleted scenes with optional director's commentary
• 'Inside Look: Hide And Seek' - featurette
• Disc 2:
• 'Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing Man On Fire' - documentary (72 mins)
• 'Pita's Abduction' - multi-angle sequence
• Tony Scott's storyboards
• Photo gallery
• 'Oye Como Va' music video from Kinky
• TV spots
• Trailers

~ Recommend ~

I think Man on Fire is very under rated and only got a rating of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes which I think should be higher. The film is brilliantly done and has great action and meanings. The soundtrack was good and helped create a beautiful yet violent atmosphere. The acting was amazing especially from young Dakota and the imagery of realism is shown superbly. Defiantly one not to miss!

 

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