Man on Fire (2004)

The next movie in my queue was Man on Fire, a 2004 action movie starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. It’s got so-so reviews from users, but I thought it looked interesting.  The movie is about a man with a questionable past, and dealing with a lot of demons (Denzel) becoming a bodyguard to a little girl (Fanning) in Mexico City.  He tries to keep his emotional distance, but ends up getting close to Fanning’s character.  Not a big surprise, but she gets kidnapped, and he goes on the warpath against anyone who was involved with it. 

I thought the movie was good, although there were some aspects that I didn’t like.  I felt there was a bit too much artsy-ness when showing Denzel being tormented internally with his drinking and past demons — that part wore thin in the beginning.  Understanding the fact that this was  2-hour movie, I do understand they had to get the Denzel and Fanning characters ingratiated, but it still felt a bit rushed.  Then again, maybe more time passed chronologically, and possibly didn’t notice. 

I enjoyed the parts where Denzel’s character was kicking ass. Denzel’s character didn’t pull any punches either.  No, he’s killing them brutally, which I felt was honest to the character, and made it a better movie.  I thought the ending started to fall apart, but I’d still recommend this movie as a rental.

Do you know who else is in this movie?  Marc Antony and Radha Mitchell.  Marc Antony, you know.  Radha Mitchell, if you remember, was the actress who starred with Vin Diesel in Pitch Black.

Man on Fire (2004)

Man on Fire (2004)

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