Man on Fire

I won't hide the fact that I expected a bit more from it. The first half is a compelling look at the growing friendship between a beleaguered bodyguard and a charming young girl, which is a joy to watch thanks to the performances and Scott's precise direction. The second half, marked by Washington's revenge and the liquidation of the kidnappers, does not lack momentum and brutality, but it’s surprisingly cold and the jerky camera got on my nerves instead of making everything more interesting. But that doesn't change the fact that Tony Scott was a great director who could make even a wheelchair chase look spectacular, and his action prowess and experience can be felt in every scene and especially in the ending. Man on Fire didn't impress me given the reviews, but on the other hand it didn't bore me for a moment. 3.5* (02/09/2012)

Tony Scott scored a bullseye with me again. Man On Fire is a perfectly made action thriller with no shortage of deep emotions and perfect action, all framed in Tony’s classic “epileptic" style. The screenplay is also pretty well written and the actors, headed by Denzel Washington, have something to say. For action and Tony fans, just superb. (29/08/2006)

Tony Scott is back in form at last. He didn’t hesitate to incorporate epileptic editing, violence and outstanding actors into a raw story about a girl being kidnapped. With a different cast, this might have collapsed like a house of cards, but when the main protagonist is played by Denzel Washington as a devotee of the “dark side", this clearly leaves no room for any humor. Especially when revenge tastes best when it’s cold blooded, isn’t that right? (10/08/2004)

*** Spoilers! *** Tony, you’re a good action director, but you don’t have what it takes for a rousing story about a man’s redemption with Lisa Gerrard’s (suspiciously familiar) vocals. At least not for such a subject in an eccentric pop guise. You fail completely in the dramatic construction of the story. You make me emotional in the first half, make me fall in love with the little heroine, and then you want me to feel catharsis during the elimination of her killers without shedding a single tear for her. Your protagonist takes revenge not to rescue her, but for the same reasons that Van Damme administered scissors kicks back in the eighties. The second half of Man on Fire thus becomes just a dull action flick with no dramatic connection to the preceding plot. The “surprising” point is then just the final nail in the muddled coffin. Besides Denzel Washington and couple of music-video-style sequences, Man on Fire has one big positive – Dakota Fanning. (02/10/2004)

In order for someone to really like this movie, they probably have to be a fan of Tony Scott in the first place. It has dynamic directing, sharp and lively cinematography, fast editing, blending of colors, and many other directorial tricks that the fans will enjoy, and basically it doesn't matter what the plot is about. (20/01/2005)