Man on Fire

Man on Fire - ***1/2

From director Tony Scott, "Man on Fire" is a raw, action packed revenge movie that runs a bit too long, but entertains so well that it's hard to notice. Denzel Washington stars as Creasy, a former Marine who takes on the task of protecting a young girl named Pita, played with such wonderful charm and accuracy by Dakota Fanning. Pita breaks his resolve to solitude and he begins to open up, but when despite his best efforts she is kidnapped, he begins to practise vigilante justice towards anyone who may be involved in the crime. Not only are the two stars superb in their roles, but supporting performances by Christopher Walken, Mark Anthony and Radha Mitchell elevate the film to a whole new level of performance. I also enjoyed the bold directorial style Scott employs, which in this film filled with twists and turns is perfect. As I've said, it's about 10-15 minutes too long, and the plot is bogged down a bit by the overabundance of characters, but the core cast are so talented and Tony Scott is so creative behind the camera, not to mention Brian Helgeland's screenplay, that it's hard to not recommend the movie. This is just a very good film. Thumbs up.