Man on Fire

I will never forget that little face. It could be because I have a sweet little blonde on her way to being just like that. I’d be on fire too if my girl was taken like that, taking a shot in the chest and cutting off fingers to find out who dunnit. It wasn’t even his little girl. But somebody like that would get under a man’s skin without too much encouragement. This just took about 40 laps in a pool, a few hugs, and naming her bear after him. Replacement father happens while real one is away. Maybe the hypocrisy of the real dad came through by comparison, kind of like a silent effect. Kids know who real people are without a great deal of thinking.

I thought this was one of the most engaging thrillers/mysteries/action dramas I’ve seen in awhile, not just for its high tension but because of the deeply personal and believable background story. But mostly, and this is not a first, the on-screen presence of Denzel Washington is unbelievable. He absolutely sizzles, again. His understated tension can almost be felt in this story with your eyes closed; walking TNT with Nitro sweat rolling off of him.

Now deep into the story when the stakes are high and we are drawing to a conclusion, the friend played by Christopher Walken is a little overplayed in the scene where he begins to describe Creasey’s “Masterpiece” (albeit it is true). That made the whole thing just a little too melodramatic for me, and that was the first time in the flow of the story that I broke out of the story’s trance and became aware of the acting. However, it didn’t take long for the story to close in again. I just would have directed that scene somewhat differently. Right idea and timed well in the story line, but over the top.

Walken in all other parts of the story makes a perfect compliment to Washington. Their friendship is genuine and warm and immediately bankable. Their past is made equally mysterious and adds perfect weight to the story, and power. We really don’t need to know the full story to feel the power behind whoever Creasy might have been, or exactly what he had done. The line, “Do you think God will ever forgive us for what we’ve done?”, is just plain great writing. It is, of course the entire theme of the story carried forward to the beginning, ending with a close up of the failing grasp of a hand on the figure of St. Jude.

All through the poignant story is the search for redemption and justice. It is classic bad guys and corruption vs. lone ranger with an edge. And the Lone Ranger is flawed by the past and predilection to alcohol, turning to the relationship with the little girl, and to God to get a grip. His personal turning point of putting away the bottle is not cheesy or pretentious, and his character displays genuine struggle. The consistent putting aside of the self for another, and blatantly placing himself in harm’s way, seemingly without regard for the guns of the enemy, Creasy comes off almost as a superhero, and his life takes on a very supernatural air, defying death, all the while seeming almost nonchalant about his dance with it. Particularly powerful were the brief glimpses of Creasy in a pool with his continued bleeding mixing with the clear water, reminding us of his ongoing condition while also adding even more tension and the pressure of time to the already heavily climbing events.

So tension and more tension is the word for this film, and a strong sense of story that carries us forward and sticks with you afterward. I have not been this engaged and felt such dramatic buildup since my first experience with the Russian film “Come and See”. So if you haven’t “gone and seen” this one, rent the disk, and make sure the kids are asleep. Not for the squeamish, nor those who need sleep.

Rate: 7 out of 10 Klodneys.