Man on Fire (2004)

In Mexico City, a former CIA operative swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

A.J. Quinnell (novel), Brian Helgeland (screenplay)

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Denzel Washington	...	John W. Creasy
Dakota Fanning	...	Lupita Ramos
Radha Mitchell	...	Lisa Ramos
Christopher Walken	...	Paul Rayburn
Marc Anthony	...	Samuel Ramos
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Miguel Manzano
Mickey Rourke	...	Jordan Kalfus
Rachel Ticotin	...	Mariana Garcia Guerrero
Roberto Sosa	...	Daniel Sanchez
Jesús Ochoa	...	Victor Fuentes
Gero Camilo	...	Aurelio Sanchez
Mario Zaragoza	...	Jorge Gonzalez
Charles Paraventi	...	Jersey Boy
Carmen Salinas	...	Guardian Three
Esteban De La Trinidad	...	Guardian Two

Storyline

Hard drinking, burnt out ex CIA operative John Creasy has given up on life until he's hired as a bodyguard to protect nine year old Pita Ramos. Bit by bit, Creasy begins to reclaim some of his soul, but when pita is kidnapped, Creasy's fiery rage is finally released and he will stop at nothing to save her as he sets out on a dangerous, revenge fuelled rescue mission.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnapping | mexico | bodyguard | kidnapped girl | corrupt cop | 

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Taglines:

A Promise To Protect. A Vow To Avenge.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and strong violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Antoine Fuqua was offered the chance to direct the movie but he was already busy with production on King Arthur (2004).

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Goofs

After Samuel Ramos shot himself with Creasy's bullet, the gun can be seen on the floor with the slide locked in the open position. That would only happen if an empty magazine was inserted into the gun, but Creasy had removed the magazine beforehand and Samuel loaded the bullet manually into the chamber. After firing the single bullet, the slide would close forward again.

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Quotes

[Creasy is planning to go after Fuentes, a high-ranking corrupt police lieutenant]
Mariana: He's protected better than our president.
Creasy: He's gonna need it.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to Mexico City. A very special place.

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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.

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Connections

Spin-off Athidhi (2007)

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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 Reviews

A really excellent film!

This film genuinely was one of the best I have seen in a long time. From the trailer I expected it to be okay, but I didn't imagine it would be as brilliant as it is! My first surprise was the length of the film, and the length of time that elapses before the actual kidnapping takes place. I have not seen a film for some time that was this sad. I loved Creasy (and I'm not normally a Denzel Washington fan!) and the little girl was so cute that I knew I was going to be distressed by her kidnapping.

In summary, the two lead characters, Creasy and Pita, were amazing and brilliantly acted. And the ending made me cry (a lot). This film is very heartwarming and even the revenge scenes were better than I expected!

8/10 (and that's probably not being very generous). If you haven't seen it, see it! But be warned that it's a lot longer than you'd think!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK Mexico Switzerland

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

23 April 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Man on Fire

Filming Locations:

Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,751,490, 25 April 2004

Gross USA:

$77,911,774

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$130,834,852

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, New Regency Productions, Scott Free Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1