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IMDbPro

Man on Fire

  • 20042004
  • RR
  • 2h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
368K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,864
29
Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (2004)
DVD Pre
Play trailer0:35
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDrama
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
368K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,864
29
    • Tony Scott
    • A.J. Quinnell(novel)
    • Brian Helgeland(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Denzel Washington
    • Christopher Walken
    • Dakota Fanning
    • Tony Scott
    • A.J. Quinnell(novel)
    • Brian Helgeland(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Denzel Washington
    • Christopher Walken
    • Dakota Fanning
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 878User reviews
    • 159Critic reviews
    • 47Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    Man on Fire
    Trailer 0:35
    Watch Man on Fire

    Photos207

    Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (2004)
    Tony Scott in Man on Fire (2004)
    Dakota Fanning in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Rachel Ticotin in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Christopher Walken in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, and Norma Martínez in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington and Norma Martínez in Man on Fire (2004)
    Rachel Ticotin and Giancarlo Giannini in Man on Fire (2004)
    Denzel Washington in Man on Fire (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • John W. Creasy
    Christopher Walken
    Christopher Walken
    • Paul Rayburn
    Dakota Fanning
    Dakota Fanning
    • Lupita Ramos
    Radha Mitchell
    Radha Mitchell
    • Lisa Ramos
    Marc Anthony
    Marc Anthony
    • Samuel Ramos
    Giancarlo Giannini
    Giancarlo Giannini
    • Miguel Manzano
    Mickey Rourke
    Mickey Rourke
    • Jordan Kalfus
    Rachel Ticotin
    Rachel Ticotin
    • Mariana Garcia Guerrero
    Roberto Sosa
    Roberto Sosa
    • Daniel Sanchez
    Jesús Ochoa
    Jesús Ochoa
    • Victor Fuentes
    Gero Camilo
    • Aurelio Sanchez
    Mario Zaragoza
    Mario Zaragoza
    • Jorge Gonzalez
    Charles Paraventi
    • Jersey Boy
    Carmen Salinas
    Carmen Salinas
    • Guardian Three
    Esteban De La Trinidad
    • Guardian Two
    Angelina Peláez
    Angelina Peláez
    • Sister Anna
    Norma Pablo
    • Reina Rosas
    Rosa María Hernández
    • Maria
      • Tony Scott
      • A.J. Quinnell(novel)
      • Brian Helgeland(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Writer Brian Helgeland first saw the original Man on Fire (1987) when he was renting videos in the late '80s. He walked in to the video store where Quentin Tarantino was working and asked what was good. Tarantino recommended "Man on Fire".
    • Goofs
      After Pita is kidnapped, the police chief gives her full name as "Pita Martin Ramos". Not only is the child's real first name "Lupita," but according to Mexican name customs, the father's surname should go first, making it "Lupita Ramos Martin".
    • Quotes

      Rayburn: [refering to Creasy to Miguel Manzano in the Agency for Federal Investigation Headquarters] A man can be an artist... in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Creasy's art is death. He's about to paint his masterpiece.

    • Crazy credits
      Special thanks to Mexico City. A very special place.
    • Alternate versions
      European (PAL) version of the DVD lack the stylized subtitles found through the movie, except for a few in the beginning. Those subtitles are found in the form of regular DVD subtitles.
    • Connections
      Featured in HBO First Look: The Making of 'Man on Fire' (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      The Mark Has Been Made
      Written by Trent Reznor

      Performed by Nine Inch Nails

      Courtesy of Nothing/Interscope Records

      Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

    User reviews878

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Righteous retribution and the John Creasy redemption.
    Man on Fire is directed by Tony Scott and adapted to screenplay by Brian Helgeland from the novel of the same name written by A.J. Quinell. It stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Rachael Ticotin, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Mickey Rourke and Jesús Ochoa. Music is scored by Harry Gregson-Williams and cinematography by Paul Cameron.

    Mexico City and kidnappings are rife. Enter ex-military operative John Creasy (Washington). Often drunk and with no discerning aims in life, Creasy is hired by the Ramos family to act as bodyguard to their young daughter Pita (Fanning). After initially being cold and distant, Creasy starts to form a warm relationship with Pita, but tragedy strikes and Pita is kidnapped. This sets the wheels in motion for Creasy to go on a one man war of revenge against anyone involved in the snatch.

    Directed with a raft of deliriously ace neo-noir flourishes by Tony Scott, Man on Fire is 145 minutes of fatalism. From the outset it's evident that this sweaty part of Mexico is home to a tortured soul, a man in desperate need of redemption. John Creasy will get this redemption, by hook or by crook, we know this, the narrative structure quickly pulls us in to impress this fact upon us. How he finds it, both emotionally and physically, is what drives the picture on. This is no ordinary tale of revenge, an excuse for pyrotechnics and inventive deaths, it is about one man's journey to said redemption, his trawl through hell, his personal sacrifice is his calling.

    The catalyst is the kidnapping of young Pita Ramos, but where it would have been easy for Scott to jump in early and unleash Creasy hell, the director shows great restraint by affording time to the relationship of John and Pita. Most of the first hour is spent building a bond between them, the child softening the edges of the Creasy exterior, to then enter into his heart as he becomes not just a friend, but a surrogate father as well. It's a very real relationship, a natural one, so when things go pear shaped in the second half of the piece, we care what is happening.

    Yet constantly that air of fatalism and pessimism hangs heavy as the plot thickens, the unfolding story pulsing with betrayal at almost every turn, classic neo-noir and Scott amps up the disorientation as we enter a hellish world of social decay. His box of tricks contain jump-cuts, film stock, reverse process, over-saturated colours, kinetic camera work, step-printing and slow-mo, all used to create the perfect tonal discord, a marrying up of the anti-hero's state of mind and that of the realm he has entered.

    The film can be accused of pandering to stereotyping Latino baddies, especially irksome since the source novel was based in Italy, and that is a misstep that could have been avoided, but Man on Fire remains one of the most important neo-noirs available to view. It refuses to take easy options, particularly with the jet black finale, it has a grasp on what is required for quintessential neo-noir. Backed by stunning work from Washington, Scott and Cameron, it's a film equally of high technical merit as it is of narrative bite. 9/10
    helpful•40
    12
    • hitchcockthelegend
    • Jun 27, 2009

    FAQ5

    • What is "Man on Fire" about?
    • Is "Man on Fire" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 23, 2004 (United States)
      • Switzerland
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Mexico
      • Official Site
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
    • Production companies
      • Fox 2000 Pictures
      • New Regency Productions
      • Scott Free Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 26 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital

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