Review: Man on Fire
A nice mix of drama, thriller and action styles shows Tony Scott didn’t lose his gift (which I feared after a boring Spy Game). Directing with a gritty atmosphere and dynamic camera angles and movements keeps even the “boring” moments interesting. Diving directly into some character exploration helps to set up the movie, while action and some more straightforward storytelling fills the second half.
Denzel Washington plays a multilayered troubled man, while the talented young Dakota Fanning (mini-series Taken) is as disarmingly cute as ever. The rest of the cast keeps up pretty well, even Marc Anthony plays a believable character.
While there’s no room for intense drama or nailbiting, it’s still powerful along the way. Even during the more standard storylines, the depth of the characters keeps this well above avarage.8-.