DVD Review

Man On Fire (2004)

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Credits

Release Date: Apr 23, 2004; Rated: R; DVD Release Date: Sep 14, 2004; Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller; With: Dakota Fanning, Christopher Walken and Denzel Washington; Distributor: 20th Century Fox Film Corporation

B-

By Scott Brown

Scott Brown

Scott Brown writes the Hit List for EW and is a frequent contributor to National Public Radio -- he has the tote bag to prove it

He'll deliver more justice in a weekend than 10 years of your courts and tribunals.'' This is said of Creasy (Denzel Washington, wonderfully bruised and ursine), a shadowy CIA assassin-turned-remorseful-drunk-turned-bodyguard to a wealthy Mexico City family, and the statement goes more or less unchallenged, as Tony Scott's hypertensive vengeance thriller unfolds with more symmetry than substance. Creasy, assigned to protect adorable, precocious Pita Ramos (adorable, precocious Dakota Fanning), quickly finds occasion to unleash his inner demons on the evildoers, and we're asked to cheer the terrorist in him because he is our terrorist.

EXTRAS If the torture scenes alone don't make you cringe, flip on the commentary with young Miss Fanning. Don't worry, she covers her eyes during the gorier moments.

Posted Sep 17, 2004

More

Review EW reviews Collector's Editions DVDs (Dec 14, 2004) | Jeff Labrecque
Movie Review Man on Fire (Apr 23, 2004) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
Movie Commentary Why we love Denzel's latest flick (Apr 23, 2004)
EW.com News ''Man on Fire'''s Dakota Fanning on De Niro... and dogs (Apr 23, 2004) | Liane Bonin
Movie Commentary ''Man on Fire'' is one of the 10 movies we can't wait to see in early 2004 (Apr 23, 2004)
DVD Review The Great Debaters 2-Disc Edition (May 13, 2008) | Jeff Labrecque

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