Review of Man on Fire (2004) by Diogo S — 06 May 2011

It's another Tony Scott film, and another criminal thriller. Denzel Washington plays the same kind of character as he plays most of the rest. Dakota Fanning remains as annoying as always. So ultimately, nothing about this film is exactly original, or new.

But all the same, maybe just because I favor criminal thrillers, it was worth the watch. Scott's signature cinematography is parallel to Paul Greengrass', despite the difference being Scott's doesn't piss you off.

I was very disappointed to see the talented Mickey Rourke in a two-scene role like this. Radha Mitchell's character also got annoyingly unoriginal. I think much more Rourke would've been immensely beneficial to the film.

But an a higher note, the relationship between Washington and Fanning, although changing abruptly, does propel the film. The sideshow of Giancarlo Giannini and Rachel Ticotin is amusing and puts a lightweight relief on the moderately heavyweight film.

When Fanning is kidnapped, Washington truely offers no mercy to the numerous perpetrators in his various ways of torture and assassination. But you never really feel bad for his victims because either you want them dead, or Washington is just undeniably protagonistic.

B+.