Movie #95 -- Man On Fire

Title: Man On Fire

Director: Tony Scott

Release Year: 2004

Plot Summary: Creasy (Denzel Washington) is an alcoholic ex-assassin hired to protect Pita (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of the wealthy Samuel (Marc Anthony).

Thoughts: Tony Scott is a fabulous director. Seriously... one of the best in the biz. And the direction of this film is top notch. Lots of crisp and quick cuts and interesting camera angles. The cast is fantastic: two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington is good in his role as the alcoholic bodyguard; Marc Anthony (yes... THAT Marc Anthony) is outstanding as the corrupt Samuel; Radha Mitchel's character blends seemlessly into the film; and what more can be said about young Dakota Fanning?

All that in mind, this sum of the parts of this movie is less than it should be. Christopher Walken and Mickey Rourke's charcaters (see... awesome cast) are not given enough meat. The use of Trent Reznor's music gets extremely annoying about halfway through the movie. Denzel's character doesn't really make a whole lot of sense either (as wonderful as his performance is in this film). The ending sucks. Oh, and I'm convinced that somewhere in this 146 minute movie is a very good 120 minute movie just waiting to break out.

Rating (0-10): 6.8

recommendations: Worth watching for the acting performances and the kick-ass directing. I'd catch it on cable, but this certainly isn't the kind of film that bears repeat viewing.