‘Man On Fire’ Offers Revenge Wrapped Within Mayhem

What does it tell us about our society when three of the top four movies at the box office last week (The Punisher, Kill Bill Vol. 2, and Man on Fire) were R-rated revenge flicks? I wouldn’t even presume to know, but I would guess it actually says very little, just as the success of The Passion of Christ doesn’t necessarily indicate that America is going Catholic.

Nevertheless, I was intrigued enough to see Man on Fire, which is currently the top movie in the country. Starring Oscar-winning actor Denzel Washington and gifted child actress Dakota Fanning (I am Sam, The Cat in the Hat), this stylishly violent film is a strangely engaging picture that works hard to be more than the vengeance-minded, high body-count exercise one could argue it to be. In fact, it has a lot in common with 1974’s Death Wish, but I digress.

Based on a novel by A.J. Quinnell (which was first adapted back in 1987 in a film starring Scott Glenn), Man on Fire follows downtrodden, washed-up former government operative John Creasy (Washington), who retreats to Mexico City to meet with an old friend (Christopher Walken) who has lined up a job for him as a bodyguard. His charge is an endearing young girl named Pita (Fanning), the cute, blue-eyed daughter of a wealthy young businessman (Marc Anthony) and his spirited American wife (Radha Mitchell).

In a city rife with crime (we’re told that four kidnappings happen a day), the family fears for young Pita’s safety and has kept her out of school to avoid any risk of harm. But their precocious daughter longs to return to school, so Creasy is brought in to be her guardian.

Director Tony Scott (Top Gun, Spy Game), who previously teamed with Washington on Crimson Tide, effectively joins forces with the star in this outing by utilizing both his likeability and his recent penchant for more complex, darker roles (Training Day). Creasy is a boozing, haunted figure, a loner with no desire to connect with the young girl he’s been hired to protect. He’s thoughtful, yet dour and direct.

But the charming, inquisitive Pita is irresistible, and she slowly begins to wiggle her way into the sullen Creasy’s heart. Indeed, the bond that Washington and Fanning establish on-screen is tangible, heartfelt and worth the price of admission alone. But then Scott turns the tables on us when tragedy strikes, a ransom goes bad, and Creasy decides to unleash a particularly ruthless brand of justice.

This is where the film crosses bloodlines with the original Death Wish. Just as that film sought to give its protagonist a justification for vigilantism by brutally depicting the killing of his wife and raping of his daughter, Man on Fire grabs our sympathies by giving us a winning bond between Creasy and Pita, then suddenly, horribly snatching that away from us. When Washington grits his teeth and declares he’s going to “kill ‘em all,” we’re right there with him, even as he subsequently wreaks all manner of havoc, including some graphic scenes of torture as he tries to procure information from all manner of unseemly types.

Certainly there’s something uncomfortable about rooting for this kind of behavior, but Scott knows what he’s doing and he so successfully wins us over with the film’s first half that we side unquestionably with Creasy as he turns violent, merciless avenger in the second half.

Man on Fire is rated R for language and strong violence. The last half might be a bit much for some, but the film, which features Scott’s trademark jump cuts, flashy editing and thumping soundtrack, boasts strong performances that’ll win over audiences and perhaps even make you feel a bit embarrassed for getting such a cathartic kick out of such mayhem.