Man on Fire (2004)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers (WGA):

A.J. Quinnell (novel)
Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 April 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Revenge is a meal best served cold

Plot:

In Mexico City, a former assassin swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Plot Keywords:

Mexico | Bodyguard | Kidnapping | CIA | Alcoholic

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 30

9:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Creasy
Dakota Fanning	...	Pita
Marc Anthony	...	Samuel
Radha Mitchell	...	Lisa
Christopher Walken	...	Rayburn
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Manzano
Rachel Ticotin	...	Mariana
Jesús Ochoa	...	Fuentes
Mickey Rourke	...	Jordan
Angelina Peláez	...	Sister Anna
Gustavo Sánchez Parra	...	Daniel Sanchez
Gero Camilo	...	Aurelio Sanchez
Rosa María Hernández	...	Maria
Heriberto Del Castillo	...	Bruno
Mario Zaragoza	...	Jorge Ramirez

MPAA:

Rated R for language and strong violence.

Runtime:

146 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Germany:16 | Malaysia:18PL | USA:R (certificate #40714) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/16 | France:-12 | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:18 | Italy:T | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

Marlon Brando was the original choice to play Rayburn.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The Kidnappers instruct Ramos to wait for a call in a public payphone in Avenida Reforma. Mexico City "Ladatel" card payphones can't receive calls. And, more specifically, the phone shown in the movie where the instructions are supposedly posted is the regular kind, which can't receive calls.

Quotes:

Elderly Man: In the church, they say to forgive.
Creasy: Forgiveness is between them and God. It's my job to arrange the meeting.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing 'Man on Fire' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Nessun Dorma from Turandot

a genuinely good movie

i liked this film a lot. it's dark, it's not a bullet-dodging, car-chasing numb your brain action movie. a lot of the characters backgrounds and motivations are kinda vague, leaving the viewer to come to their own conclusions. it's nice to see a movie where the director allows the viewer to make up their own minds.

in the end, motivated by love or vengeance, or a desire to repent - he does what he feels is "right". 'will god ever forgive us for what we've done?' - it's not a question mortal men can answer - so he does what he feels he has to do, what he's good at, what he's been trained to do.

denzel washington is a great actor - i honestly can't think of one bad movie he's done - and he's got a great supporting cast. i would thoroughly recommend this movie to anyone.