Denzel Washington is a hard actor to figure out. He has enormous talent (enough to warrant Academy Award nominations and wins), a charismatic onscreen persona, and is willing to take on some tough roles that allow him to stretch as an actor. Yet of late, he hasn’t done a film that that really set the box office ablaze. I just don’t get why he isn’t more of a box-office draw than he is. His recent films have been much better than one might expect, considering how quickly they are out of the theatre. “Man on Fire” is a film that should have done better than it did. Washington plays a former CIA assassin who is hired to protect the daughter (Dakota Fanning) of a couple (Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony) living in Mexico. There has been a rash of kidnapping and they are determined to keep their little girl safe. Washington’s character is haunted by demons of past experiences and over the years he has steadily hid himself inside of a bottle. When he is hired as the little girl’s bodyguard, he begins to come out of his depression, and as their relationship grows his faith in himself deepens.

But then, the inevitable happens. The little girl is kidnapped and he is left hospitalized. Once out of the hospital however, he becomes judge, jury and executioner to those who took her.

I didn’t catch “Man on Fire” until getting the DVD a few days ago, and I wonder how I missed it in the theatre. Though there are a few plot holes and unexplained situations in the movie, it kept me glued to the screen for all of its 2 hour and 26 minute length. The performances all around were stellar, and the story was a powerful one of vengeance. Washington was excellent as always, turning what could have been a one-dimensional character into one rich with layers. His pain and the sense of defeat he initially feels when he realizes the little girl has been taken comes right out of the screen, making you totally empathetic to his plight.

The most surprising performance though, comes in the form of young Dakota Fanning, who plays the little girl, Pita. Actually, I shouldn’t have been surprised as I’ve seen her in numerous projects, including “Steven Speilberg’s Taken”, and she never delivers anything less than a believable performance. Most child stars aren’t that good, and she displays a talent and understanding of the craft that is well beyond her years.

The rest of the cast, which includes the ever intense Christopher Walken, also do excellent work in this film. I was glad to see Radha Mitchell again, who I hadn’t seen since “Pitch Black”, she’s a lovely actress who deserves a lot more screen time. The only one I could have done without was Mickey Rourke, who was pretty much a has-been at the same time he thought he was somebody. He has never really come across as an actor with talent, and is the only downbeat of the movie.

For a film as intense as “Man on Fire”, I had expected a lot more in the way of special features, but it was not to be. The only thing you’ll find on this new DVD release from Fox is a commentary from director Tony Scott, producer Lucas Foster, writer Brian Helgeland and Dakota Fanning. This last participant kind of threw me for a loop as the film is rated “R” and she can’t be more than ten or so years old. (I can get into all sorts of discussions about kids being in movies that they shouldn’t even see, but I’ll save it for another article.) I have to say the commentary is not all that enthralling, not so much because of those speaking, but the length of the film itself. It starts out kind of interesting, but loses steam fairly quickly.

“Man on Fire” was a much better movie than I had anticipated, and though the DVD lacks any good special features, it’s certainly worth a look.

Directed by: Tony Scott
Starring: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken, Giancarlo Giannini, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin, Mickey Rourke
Extras: Commentary by Director Tony Scott, Producer Lucas Foster, Screenwriter Brian Helgeland, and Actress Dakota Fanning
Specifications: Widescreen (2.40:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 9/14/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Language and Strong Violence)
Website

We'll give Man on Fire a B.