Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Archive Analysis: "Man on Fire"

Man on Fire
Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony
Rated: R for language and strong violence.


Tony Scott’s violent thriller Man On Fire is a ferociously emotional film that is energized purely by the performances of Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. Underneath Scott's signature style of saturated color, film burns, and double exposure is the story of John Creesey (Washington), a troubled mercenary who has turned from God to the bottle to ease his guilty conscience, and is transformed through the undying and personal love of Fanning’s Pita, a girl he is a bodyguard for, who is looking for a true parental figure in her life. This transition is astounding, and is one that really is riveting as the remainder of the story, itself. However, the film takes a striking and disturbing turn when Pita is kidnapped and killed, which unleashes the fury of Creesey, showing how much of an emotional and spiritual impact Pita had on his life. As violent and terrible as the imagery may be, the film has a wonderful message, which is pseudo-biblical of self-sacrificing redemption that is wonderfully played out by it’s two incredible lead characters.

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