Man on Fire

Directed By Tony Scott

Starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning

20th Century Fox

Rated R

146 minutes

Grade: A-

“Man on Fire” is an action/thriller/revenge movie that is actually smart, dramatic and noteworthy – a novelty in the present-day Hollywood climate of cookie-cutter films with no rooted emotion. Simply put, “Man on Fire” is a great film, a suspenseful ride and a stylistic, wholly new endeavor.

Denzel Washington stars as Creasy, former member of a military ops group, and now a lost soul and depressed alcoholic on the verge of suicide. He is hired by wealthy businessman Samuel (Marc Anthony) and his wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell) to protect their daughter Pita (Dakota Fanning). Pita is in endangered because of a recent rash of kidnappings in Mexico City.

The first half of the movie is full of dramatic suspense. The lonesome Creasy arrives at Samuel’s hacienda and lives in the guest room with an annoying bird. The intelligent 10-year-old Pita talks up Creasy, much to his dismay. However, he eventually warms up to little Pita and becomes a sort of father figure that truly and deeply cares for her. (He teaches her to swim better and shows her how to get out of the piano lessons she despises.) All the while, he knows she could be kidnapped at any time, creating very suspenseful moments.

Of course, Pita is eventually kidnapped, but not without Creasy getting shot first. He is restored back to optimum health, but not without vowing to make the people responsible pay for what has happened to Pita. The second half of the movie then decidedly turns into a revenge flick, with awfully shocking moments of violence. The steps Creasy take to attain his vengeance are fanatically extreme. Faint of heart beware.

Just as in “Training Day,” for which Washington won an Academy Award, his portrayal of Creasy is maddening and fantastic – walking the fine line between crazy and sane. Fanning’s acting is equally wonderful. She is smart, funny and cute. The only dark spot is Anthony, who is better known as a fairly famous Latin pop singer. His acting seems a little forced and perhaps he should have just stayed with his music.

The cinematography style is in line with such movies as “21 Grams” and “Traffic,” with certain colors filtered out, while others are more noticeable. The difference though that makes this movie unique is the filming and editing style. There are repeated quick cuts and many jittering shots. There are also usually many angles implemented into one scene. These gritty aspects give the sense of being in the underworld of Mexico City.

Combined, these attributes sometimes feel like you’re having an epileptic seizure watching the film. This, seizure quality is both the film’s greatest achievement and its biggest flaw. This technique has never really been done before and it intensifies the whole movie. At the same time though, it almost gets to be too much, especially during emotional moments. You end up noticing the technique more than storyline sometimes.

Another refreshing quality of the film is the stylistic use of subtitles. These aren’t regular, yellow, boring subtitles that just flash at the bottom of the screen. These subtitles range in location on the screen, font and size. This gives all of the Spanish spoken, combined with the acting, a real sense of drama. On a few occasions, English is even subtitled to further make a point.

This stylistic jaunt of a movie does not have a predictable ending. Sometimes, an ending would seem to be imminent, but the movie still trucked on – with Creasy serving up even more plates of revenge.

Denzel is the “Man on Fire,” with a clever cinematic technique that adds to his already great acting. A worthwhile movie ticket all around.