Man on Fire Review by Ash (4 Stars)

Man on Fire Review by Ash (4 Stars) | MatchFlick

Steal of the Day

Jerry Lewis - The Legendary Jerry Lewis Collection 10-Disc Set DVD
~~$56.99~~
$35.99
The Steal of the Day is offered by MatchFlick's DVD partner, FamilyVideo.com.

[help]

[more]

MatchFlick Member Reviews


	3 reviews review this movie read all reviews

Movie Details

All Movie Info

Starring:
Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke

Directed By:
Tony Scott

Man on Fire (2004)

email this review to a friend

Movie Review by Ash
October 24th, 2006

Good even if dirty, violent, and unhappy.

Review originally written 4/19/04

What can I say about Man on Fire? It was good. Not as good as I had hoped it would be, but as far as revenge stories goes, it's up there with the best.

Yes the film is violent. Very much so. But then, this is a film driven to absolute hatred and rage. Why should you expect him to be nice and non-violent. This is a story about what death dealing is really about. It's not about cartoon violence as found in Kill Bill. It's not about, "hey you looked at me funny so now I gotta beat you up." It's about, "for what you mutha [bleepers] have done, I'm gonna butcher every last [bleeping] one of you!" This movie is about what could bring a man to that point and what he would do afterwards.

Creasy (Denzel Washington) is not a nice man. He's a cold hearted killer. The movie has him pondering will he ever be forgiven for his past sins. He hates himself for what he's become and tries to end his life, but something intervenes and he is spared. Then this child becomes sort of a savior for Creasy; bringing him back to the world of humanity again. When she dies, inside he dies with her. He becomes nothing more than an avenging angel wreaking death to those who brought it to her.

The end, without giving too much away, is about Creasy doing what he has to do, and what he knows needs to be done. He makes a sacrifice to save the one he loves.

This film is dirty and violent and disgusting, but in some ways it is also beautiful. Washington and Fanning give fantastic performances. Tony Scott is on form as usual, but the editing and cinematography were a little overboard in the quick cuts and jumpy camerawork. Overall, though this film has flaws, it's still one of the best I've seen this year.

email this review to a friend

Comment on this Review:

Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to reviews.

Join or Login.

Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS