Eye Candy #101 - "Man on Fire"

Man on Fire: Based on the book of the same name (though they changed several key aspects of the story), “Man on Fire” sits at the top of the heap as the most recent entry into the action-revenge genre that is worth repeated viewings (a la “Gladiator). Denzel Washington is Creasy, a soldier-of-fortune who goes to Mexico City to spend time with an old friend who runs a bodyguard business. Soon, Creasy finds himself hired to protect a young girl Pinta (Dakota Fanning), in a city where kidnapping and ransoming family members is almost a cottage industry (see also: Pakistan). He and Pinta begin to bond, and the spiritually wounded Creasy begins to heal. But then Pinta is kidnapped by corrupt cops and it’s up to Creasy to get her back the only way he knows how, and that involves killing his way to the top and causing as much collateral pain as possible. Stylish, violent, and bloody, “Man on Fire” is a well-put together suspenser by Tony Scott. It doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but it’s still entertaining. One of Denzel’s better roles in recent years, he does a great job as the damaged Creasy and he and Fanning have good chemistry. Woodchuck sez, “Me likey.”