Review Of Man On Fire
October 20th 2006 02:16
Burn Baby Burn.
As a rule, I don’t like violent films.
Just personal taste you understand – I think I lack the vital Y chromosome that would allow me to truly appreciate Seagal or Schwarzenegger smashing his way through nameless, faceless enemies. And I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions, The Usual Suspects is one of my favourite films, as is Fight Club, but most Hollywood films seem to delight in showing more death, destruction and demolition then the average soldier would see in a lifetime, usually with little or no justification from the plot.
Having said all of that, the subject of today’s review, Man On Fire, was truly something different.
The story is essentially one of redemption as dried-up, grogged-up, ex-assassin John Creasy (Denzel Washington) takes a job in Mexico City as bodyguard to nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning – once again proving that some children CAN act). The relationship that develops between the two is both achingly beautiful and brilliantly believable as Creasy is gradually dragged back from the precipice from which his past actions have drawn him. Predictably (although with a film of this quality that isn’t a downside), Pita is kidnapped and Creasy is sent into a downward spiral of revenge.
I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen a film where the violence was so essentially built in. Don’t get me wrong. The movie is great. Tremendous. It instantly became one of my top ten. And it is violent, incredibly so. The difference here is that that brutality, that aggression, is, instead of being a distraction, or an expensive alternative to actual dialogue, is a critical part of the main character. It reflects, with all the panache of a massive pyrotechnics budget, the personal turmoil that a darkly fascinating and complicated character (played by the ever-excellent Washington) is experiencing. Each death, each explosion, each gunshot is another insight into his twisting self-destruction, and believe me, by the end he is literally burning with rage.
9/10
As a rule, I don’t like violent films.
Just personal taste you understand – I think I lack the vital Y chromosome that would allow me to truly appreciate Seagal or Schwarzenegger smashing his way through nameless, faceless enemies. And I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions, The Usual Suspects is one of my favourite films, as is Fight Club, but most Hollywood films seem to delight in showing more death, destruction and demolition then the average soldier would see in a lifetime, usually with little or no justification from the plot.
Having said all of that, the subject of today’s review, Man On Fire, was truly something different.
The story is essentially one of redemption as dried-up, grogged-up, ex-assassin John Creasy (Denzel Washington) takes a job in Mexico City as bodyguard to nine-year-old Pita Ramos (Dakota Fanning – once again proving that some children CAN act). The relationship that develops between the two is both achingly beautiful and brilliantly believable as Creasy is gradually dragged back from the precipice from which his past actions have drawn him. Predictably (although with a film of this quality that isn’t a downside), Pita is kidnapped and Creasy is sent into a downward spiral of revenge.
I don’t actually think I’ve ever seen a film where the violence was so essentially built in. Don’t get me wrong. The movie is great. Tremendous. It instantly became one of my top ten. And it is violent, incredibly so. The difference here is that that brutality, that aggression, is, instead of being a distraction, or an expensive alternative to actual dialogue, is a critical part of the main character. It reflects, with all the panache of a massive pyrotechnics budget, the personal turmoil that a darkly fascinating and complicated character (played by the ever-excellent Washington) is experiencing. Each death, each explosion, each gunshot is another insight into his twisting self-destruction, and believe me, by the end he is literally burning with rage.
9/10
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Comment by Georgie
Oz Movies
Hope you enjoy.
Am planning on seeing BoyTown today so hopefully will have that review up by tomorrow.
In the meantime if anyone has any films theyed like me to review feel free to post them here and I'll try to get a look at them. I draw the line at porn people but otherwise just give me a buzz.
hugs
G