Review of Man on Fire (1987) by Chris M — 18 Nov 2010
At times Tony Scott's direction and gimmick-laden style becomes unwatchable, but in between the montages and insane (infrequent) action sequences there are some very decent parts.
Denzel Washington saves the film from being utterly forgettable with a really terrific central performance. I liked the first 50 minutes the best, as his self-loathing ex-CIA Hitman discovers a reason for living in the young girl he's paid to protect. After that goes pear-shaped, so does the film.
It descends into a fairly gory revenge tale, and we had identified the sort-of-twist elements after about 5 minutes. Nevertheless, Washington's grim and relentless pursuit of the gangs is impressive. And what's not to like about Christopher Walken?!
This review of Man on Fire (1987) was written by Chris M on 18 Nov 2010.
Man on Fire has generally received positive reviews.
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