Man on Fire | AccessAtlanta

Man on Fire

A bodyguard hired to protect a young girl in Mexico City sets out on a rampage of revenge when she is kidnapped.

FILM FACTS

Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, Radha Mitchell
Director: Tony Scott
Rating: R for language and strong violence
Genre: Action, adventure

Official movie site

See showtimes (R) 142 minutes

Grade: B

Verdict: Hot plot, hot cast, hot Denzel.

By ELEANOR RINGEL GILLESPIE
Cox News Service

Last week's "The Punisher" is the wrong way to do a vengeance thriller.

This week's "Man on Fire" is the right way.

However, "Man on Fire" aspires to be something more than a straight-up ransom/revenge flick. It also wants to say a few things about faith, friendship and redemption. And for the most part it succeeds, thanks to a fine cast and a sharp script by Brian Helgeland ("Mystic River" and "L.A. Confidential").

First made in 1987 with Scott Glenn, "Man on Fire" in this version offers Denzel Washington as John Creasy, an ex-CIA operative hired by the wealthy Ramos family (salsa superstar Marc Anthony and model-gorgeous Radha Mitchell), to protect their 9-year-old daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning). They have good reason. They live in Mexico City, where it's estimated there's a kidnapping every 60 minutes -- and 70 percent of the victims don't come home.

Creasy has the credentials -- 16 years in places like Pakistan, Thailand and Jordan. But he's also, as he admits to the Ramoses upfront, a serious alcoholic.

Tony Scott, who directed Washington in "Crimson Tide" and gave the world a shiny Tom Cruise in "Top Gun," is known as an overly kinetic director, but here he takes his time before the inevitable kidnapping. He spends almost an hour letting us fall in love with the more-than-adorable Pita, much as Creasy does -- after initially snapping at her that he was being paid to be her bodyguard, not her friend.

The kidnapping itself is a frightening blur of flashy editing, punctuated by gun shots and Pita's cries. However, it mostly serves as a catalyst for a more complicated story. As the ferociously determined Creasy makes his way through the labyrinth of those responsible, he encounters crooked cops, corrupt officials and a terrifyingly efficient kidnapping organization.

The movie is long -- approaching two and a half hours -- and Scott tends to get in his own way in the second half. His acid-trip camera work and jittery editing are less effective the 10th time around. And he lingers too long on too many close-ups of his star in varying states of rage and anguish. Trim some of those and the film would probably be a beneficial 15 minutes shorter.

Still, it's hard to argue with a plethora of close-ups when Washington's on his game, as he is here. This is arguably a better performance than the one he gave in "Training Day," which earned him an Oscar. Creasy has some of that character's nasty power and erratic menace. But instead of a grandstanding finale, Washington uses stillness to take us up a notch emotionally.

Fanning is eerily good; like Haley Joel Osment before he reached puberty, she's a very fine actor first, an irresistible kid second. She's been that way since she stole "I Am Sam" from a scenery-chewing (and not especially generous to his co-star) Sean Penn.

And here's the kicker: This movie has the kind of supporting cast that more typically would show up in a Quentin Tarantino movie. Christopher Walken as Creasy's best pal, who runs a kind of bodyguard central. Rachel Ticotin as a sexy, courageous journalist. Giancarlo Giannini as a savvy cop. And the ever-elusive Mickey Rourke -- the only man who can make Walken seem normal -- as the Ramos family lawyer .

Think of it: Walken and Rourke in the same movie. That alone is worth the price of a ticket.