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Movies / On DVD / Man on Fire
Man on Fire

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Man on Fire (2004)

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Reviews Counted:153

Fresh:59

Rotten:94

Average Rating:5.2/10

Consensus: Man on Fire starts out well, but goes over the top in the violent second half.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and strong violence

Runtime: 2 hrs 26 mins

Genre: Action/Adventure

Theatrical Release:Apr 23, 2004 Wide

Box Office: $77,693,136

Synopsis: John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a lost soul. A former government operative, he has become an alcoholic nomad, searching for inspiration and redemption. An old friend (Christopher Walken) who... John Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a lost soul. A former government operative, he has become an alcoholic nomad, searching for inspiration and redemption. An old friend (Christopher Walken) who lives in Mexico gets Creasy a job as a bodyguard for nine-year-old Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of Mexican Samuel (Marc Anthony) and his American wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell). Creasy's primary job is to protect Pita from the kidnapping attempts that are an increasing menace to the children of Mexico City's wealthy. A man of few words and many secrets, Creasy initially balks at Pita's attempts to befriend him, but soon a bond grows between the precocious child and this lonely man who is tormented by his past. When Pita is kidnapped despite Creasy's valiant attempts to save her, he will do anything to bring all of those involved to justice. His fury unravels a net of almost unimaginable corruption and greed in the process. Director Tony Scott (TOP GUN, CRIMSON TIDE) builds the relationship between Creasy and Pita in the first half of the film in order to justify Creasy's violent actions in the latter half, and in the process he does a fine job of keeping the film's tension consistently high. [More]

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken

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

Director: Tony Scott

Director: Tony Scott
Screenwriter: Brian Helgeland
Producer: Lucas Foster, Arnon Milchan, Tony Scott
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams
Studio: 20th Century Fox

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Release:

Sep 14, 2004

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Reviews for Man on Fire

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments)
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Mean-spirited; one of the year's 10 worst

Full Review Source: Catholic Sun | comment 1 Comment
01/05/05
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Fr. Chris Carpenter
Catholic Sun

Tries to justify revenge by hooking it into the myth of redemptive violence -- it doesn't work.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment 1 Comment
04/22/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

[It suggests] that John Creasy -- J.C. -- is a Christ figure: scars, prayers, acting as savior. But where Christ overcomes evil with good, J.C. uses heavy artillery.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment 1 Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Christianity Today

Seventeen years from now, we may well remember this version of the story -- just as one remembers getting hammered on the head repeatedly with a 2-by-4.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment 1 Comment
04/22/04
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Washington's charisma and Fanning's old-soul charm hoist this revenge film above the rest.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/22/04
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
04/23/04
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/01/04
Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat

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Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
12/06/05
Independent

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Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

[Scott's] fondness for intrusive, fake-stylish camera tricks -- jump cuts, speeded-up montages, abrupt changes in light, color saturation and focal depth -- has overwhelmed whatever story sense he once possessed.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/21/04
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...based on its ratio of production costs to quality alone, [Man on Fire] may prove to be the worst movie of 2004.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
04/23/04
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Premiere Magazine

Heavy-handed and stiff, Tony Scott's film is longwinded and irritatingly reminiscent -- stylistically at least -- of the works of David Fincher.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
04/29/04
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Movie Gazette | comment Comment
10/30/04
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Movie Gazette

State-of-the-art Hollywood production...Unfortunately, it also represents the nadir of Hollywood pandering to audience tastes for ever more titillating violence.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
04/22/04
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

[E]xacts its most painful retribution upon the keisters of those assembled to view it.

Full Review Source: Lowell Sun | comment Comment
04/22/04
Austin O'Connor
Austin O'Connor
Lowell Sun

A down-and-dirty revenge tale that packs an emotional punch.

Full Review Source: FromTheBalcony | comment Comment
06/21/05
Bill Clark
Bill Clark
FromTheBalcony

At times, Man on Fire seems like it was filmed by a camera attached to a nervous hummingbird.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
04/22/04
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The chemistry between Washington and Fanning is the main reason why the story works. Without it, Man on Fire would just be a big dumb loud violent music video.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
05/08/04
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com
 
 
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Latest News for Man on Fire

May 20, 2009: Fox International Targets Local Markets Opens in new window
Looking to drum up new(ish) streams of international income, Fox is planning Russian and Japanese versions of library titles such as "Man on Fire" and "Working Girl." More...

September 24, 2007: Denzel, Tony Scott to Take Pelham One Two Three
Pelham is about to be taken again -- and Denzel Washington and Tony Scott are doing the taking. More...

May 21, 2007: Four Directors Up for the Next "Bond" Flick?
Curious to know who'll be directing the next James Bond flick? Join the club. One source has a short list of potential helmers, all of whom would be pretty ... distinctive. More...

November 21, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Halls" Spreads Little Cheer; "Déjà Vu" Intrigues; "The Fountain" Overflows; "Pick" Is Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got holiday mischief ("Deck the Halls," starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito), a phenomenon known as déjà vu ("Déjà... More...

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