Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

Man on Fire is one of those movies that is great the first time around, but when viewed a second time takes on new meaning that, for me at least, was almost like watching a different movie. It’s not so much about plot twists this time, though, it’s more about getting to know the characters thoroughly. Once I knew who does what and learned about the motivations that drive them I was able to more fully understand why they do things that they do.

I don’t think I’m giving anything away by saying that the little girl, Pita (Dakota Fanning), gets kidnapped for ransom. That event splits the movie pretty much in half. The first half is about Creasy and Pita building a relationship. Creasy (Denzel Washington) is a miserable man; he has turned to alcohol for fulfillment and only takes this job bodyguarding Pita at the insistence of his friend. His life of killing others has left a shadow on his soul that persists until Pita shows him it is OK to live again. The first part of the movie is about the building of their bond and the life changes that result in Creasy. I thought all of that was a bit slow when I first watched it, but I soon realized that it is vital to the movie being great.

The second half is where the intensity begins. Creasy embarks on a mission of bloody justice taking down everyone that was involved in the kidnapping. His new-found reason for living has been stolen leaving him with all he knows, killing. So basically you have a sweet character story followed by an intense revenge story. Without the strength of the second half the beginning would have been boring and without the development of the first half the end would have been a forgettable revenge plot. The compliment of the halves creates a whole far beyond what either could have achieved individually.

Plot-wise this is one of the best movies I have seen in a while. The character development is great particularly with Creasy; he’s severely conflicted and deciding what to do with his life. We get hints that he is nothing like the man he used to be: a tough guy that has it all together. Somewhere along the line his life degenerated, and we are seeing the results of that. His friend Rayburn was evidently a tough guy also in the line of killing. We don’t see any character development in him, but we see development from the past. He has chosen a path away from blood different from Creasy’s -- Rayburn finds solace in the love of his wife and children rather than in a bottle. This makes him the only stability in Creasy’s life though not enough to be life-altering. He hopes to help Creasy come to grips with life and thinks a job will be a step in the right direction. The hints of their history and relationship without actually explaining any of it adds a great level of development to events unfolding.

Pita doesn’t change much but does learn about life. Creasy teaches her to go beyond her current limits pushing her in ways that bring out her natural talent. She matures some but is more of a catalyst than anything else.

One interesting reflection of life in the movie is that motivations and actions are often detestable or justifiable depending on the point of view or the outcome. Creasy is the best example since others I would like to use will spoil some good plot points. From one point of view Creasy is a murderer. He’s acting as judge and executioner and doesn’t mind delivering a little torture to reach his end. From another point of view he’s on a justifiable mission of justice that will keep dangerous people from hurting others.

A similar theme is that people are capable of good and evil. An example is the people that Creasy is trying to stop. They are evil enough to kidnap kids and murder whomever they need to, yet they have families, children of their own they genuinely care about. Isn’t that the way life is? A nun is capable of doing something vile and a criminal is capable of doing something good.

The acting is outstanding. If I tried to name all the actors that are good I’d be spending more time on it than I care to so I’ll just hit a few particularly high points. Denzel Washington is great as he so often is. Few people could have delivered the range of emotions he does and made them all believable. Dakota Fanning is impressive especially considering her age. The director does not rely on her cute factor to sell the role but uses Dakota’s talent to strengthen the plot of her developing relationship with Creasy. Christopher Walken’s role is one of the best he’s ever done. One reason the movie was different for me the second time around was because I kept expecting Chris to end up a bad guy. Once I knew his character was honorable and even admirable I quit trying to see through the deceptions that weren’t there. Singer Marc Anthony shows great acting ability. Mickey Rourke is quite good, etc. etc.

Tony Scott is an excellent director. There is definitely an unusual style that adds a great deal to the atmosphere of the movie. Some parts feel more like a documentary than fiction increasing the level of reality, and the many camera angles of the same scene add motion which creates a sense of urgency to the dialogue. He (or maybe the editor) inserted the translation captions in a highly unusual way that I love. The words interact with the scene - fading in and out, shifting, wiping away with the movement of a car or some other object – rather than just appearing at the bottom of the screen.

It’s a well written story. It has a large dramatic range delivering lovable sweetness and disturbing intensity with equal strength. So many movies lately seem to build up well only to be disappointing in the end. While certainly not feel-good, the ending is fulfilling and appropriate. It adds great weight to the events that precede it.

Content:
While it does have its share of questionable material it’s not too hard to censor it for slightly younger audiences. When the language is bad it’s real bad, but that is limited to a couple of scenes, most of the movie has little to no language. Some of the violence in the second half is disturbing and graphic. We’re not talking about guts spilled out or that sort of thing, but people lose fingers and get shot up. A lot of it is implied (like someone vanishing in a fireball), but the headless body and disfigured hands are clearly shown. There is a good bit of blood spilled. There is a little sexual innuendo and a couple of references but nothing graphic and no nudity at all.

DVD:
Shortly after buying the DVD I saw that a 2 disc set was released. Figures. I’m reviewing the original single disc edition. If I’d waited about a week I might have been reviewing the bigger one.

I actually like the cover art on the original better. It’s a wider shot of Denzel and Dakota against a fiery explosion. The newer one is a closer shot of Denzel looking down.

Video is 2.4 anamorphic widescreen. The video looks too compressed to me. As much as I hate having to swap DVD’s in the middle of a movie, it might have been worth splitting this one. The 5.1 surround sound is great, though. There’s also DTS offered.

Put the disc in and you have to trudge through tons of stuff: warnings and disclaimers, ads and a rating. Then after activating the movie from the interface you get another 4 logos. My advice, put the disc in and go make popcorn or tea. The menu will be up by the time you get back. Then you can skip past the logos.

Extras:
As I said already I managed to end up with the no extras version not realizing a set with deleted scenes and such was about to be released. All this one has is a couple of commentaries. I read the list of features on the new release and the commentaries appear to be included on it, as well. Anyway, one is by director Tony Scott. It is sometimes slow, but it’s informative and worth a listen for film buffs. The other is by the writers and Dakota Fanning. It also is sometimes slow while sometimes fun and interesting. Dakota says some impressively smart things, but her youth does show through, too. The writers dote on her which is fine, but they go overboard and the heaping of praise gets a tad annoying.

There are some previews and that is all.

Final Thoughts:
So the movie is most definitely worth the time. I had already seen it before getting it, and I’ve watched it twice since then (not counting the commentaries) so I think it’s worth having around for multiple viewings. If you like action and drama with great characters, you should like this movie. The movie is 5* but I’m a little peeved that I missed out on the extras. That and the weak video quality cost it a star.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older