Man on Fire

B+

I don't even remember hearing much about this movie when it came out last year, but a friend at work highly recommended it and let me borrow his DVD. It is an interesting movie and, now that I look back on it, has some of the flavor of a samurai movie being given a modern day update. Denzel Washington plays the gun-for-hire, a former black ops specialist who has gone to seed: haunted by demons from his past he has turned heavily to drink. A friend (Christopher Walken) recommends him to a rich Mexican businessman to protect his daughter (blond-haired Dakota Fanning, who has an American mother and speaks only English). The movie takes its time setting up the criminal practice of kidnappings in South America and establishing Denzel's character and relationship with his clients.

The basics of the story are pretty uncomplicated and you can pretty much guess what happens. But Denzel is always worth watching. The movie is about a third over before the inevitable kidnapping scene, and two-thirds over before Denzel goes into almost Rambo mode against organized crime in Mexico. But this isn't a simple action flick. Denzel's character has depth and goes through changes while the story has some nice twists and turns that will keep you guessing. Acting performances are good all around and Christopher Walken plays his role straight. The movie has a graceful professionalism as it tells its story. I could understand complaints about the movie starting out too slow or being unrealistic, or even formulaic, but the way it is executed draws you in and holds your interest. Definitely worth watching. B+

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