Man on Fire (2004)
Directed by Tony Scott
Jaded ex-CIA operative John Creasy reluctantly accepts a job as the bodyguard for a 10-year-old girl in Mexico City. They clash at first, but eventually bond, and when she's kidnapped he's consumed by fury and will stop at nothing to save her life.
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24 films that influenced Man on Fire
What critics say influenced Man on Fire
Part of the answer is obvious early on -- the hero's rebirth -- while the twist part is a tad murky, convoluted à la The Big Sleep, delayed too long, sprung on us unfairly and that after a false hope with a second child hostage.
I'm not ready to swear off revenge movies yet, but I find myself longing for another with the mule-kick of a Man on Fire but the double-edged, even tragic perspective of The Searchers (1956) or Taxi Driver (1976) or The Limey (1999) or In the Bedroom (2001).
The kidnapping in Man on Fire doesn't appear to be political, like the Tupamaros' of Yves Montand in State of Siege, yet some mystery bigger than for-filthy-lucre lurks behind this one.
Now the film turns into "Death Wish" (1974) or "Walking Tall" (take your pick of versions), as revenge becomes the central character.
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Now the film turns into "Death Wish" (1974) or "Walking Tall" (take your pick of versions), as revenge becomes the central character.
More personal have been Hitchcock's two does of The Man Who Knew Too Much, three Ransom titles (one a remake), the lighter Romancing the Stone, two called Hostage, four distinct Spanish-language films named Secuestro, and a long filmography of often routine others.
The film's greatest liability is its director, Tony Scott, brother of Ridley Scott ( "Alien," "Gladiator" ).
I'm not ready to swear off revenge movies yet, but I find myself longing for another with the mule-kick of a Man on Fire but the double-edged, even tragic perspective of The Searchers (1956) or Taxi Driver (1976) or The Limey (1999) or In the Bedroom (2001).
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Now Denzel Washington steps up to the plate with his explosive new thriller "Man on Fire," and the result is a scorching blend of "The Professional," "Proof of Life" and "The Limey."
I'm not ready to swear off revenge movies yet, but I find myself longing for another with the mule-kick of a Man on Fire but the double-edged, even tragic perspective of The Searchers (1956) or Taxi Driver (1976) or The Limey (1999) or In the Bedroom (2001).
This must be the same guy who helped Linda Hamilton arm herself to the teeth in Terminator 2.) At that point, Creasy is — brace yourself — a Man on Fire ™.