Man On Fire

This is a great movie if you are looking for a fast paced, exciting movie. The actors were outstanding and had a lot of intense emotion at times.

It's easy to rent the movie.You can pause it and wait to watch it later. It's also really easy to buy the digital copy or the d v d period i've actually when I buy movies now.I'm gonna start buying them d.V d on amazon and then downloading the digital copy rather than just buying digital copies.

stars Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in made-for-them roles, this movie is a definite highlight in both their careers. I watched it in the theatre, I'm just now getting it on DVD (had to wait to find the special edition, refuse to spend money on those no-feature DVDs). It is an awesome movie - the first half has the feel of a sweet father/daughter story, the second half like a revenge story, yet it all flows together into a wonderful, touching, (and yes tear-jerker) film. Dakota Fanning is Pita, the only daughter of Samuel and Lisa Ramos (her father is played by Marc Anthony, who is brilliant in his role as the tortured father). Denzel plays Creasy, the bodyguard hired to protect Pita as kidnappings of wealthy children in Mexico City is on the rise. He has his demons, and resists Pita's charms for a while, but is soon won over by her sweet disposition and unconditional love. Pita loves Creasy, how could he not love her back. With her parents gone so much on business, Creasy becomes a second father to her. And then the unthinkable - a kidnapping attempt. Not saying another word, other than Mickey Rourke as the lawyer and Christopher Walken as Denzel's ex-military friend Rayburn are brilliant casting decisions, and this is an awesome movie. Very cool effects in some of the action scenes, you often feel you are in Creasy's head. As to the special features on this DVD - bravo. This is the way special features should be done. On disk 1 is the main feature along with a choice of 2 commentaries - one by the director, the other by the writer, the producer, and Dakota Fanning. She is adorable to listen to on her take throughout the movie. The writer and the producer do their jobs well both putting in other relevant information and guiding her through the thought process so she shares what we'll be interested in. The only thing that could have been added was to include Denzel on the commentary, even if they had to edit him in rather than have him on site while they recorded. On disk 2 are 33 minutes of deleted scenes, with option director commentary, a 6 part documentary on the making of the film which includes cast interviews (and even Denzel is interviewed), an alternate ending, a series of camera angles for the kidnapping scene, music video, and other production features such as storyboarding. Audio is available in English, Spanish and French.

No Spoilers!!! Denzel plays some awesome roles. This is an amazing movie. Reminiscent of the Equalizer, he plays the role perfectly. I stand up and cheer at parts. If you're having a day where you need to watch Wick or Equalizer, check this out. Some of his set ups on the bad guys are straight gangster. This is a fun movie I come back to every so often. Never disappoints.

A++++

Some plausible gun play that doesn't insult you, and a little that might but its way better than most and still fun. Some plot holes, a little unnecessary story line but some real good "who-dun-it" to the story. It is slower and longer than you want it to be or it needs to be (think a short version "Unforgiven") Not much asked for from Walken, Denzel does a good job especially with the quick shoot people, with no drawn out BS. I really liked it the first time I saw it years ago and just watched it for a second time now with my 20 year old son who was seeing it for the first time. He often walks away on movies with me, he watched this one throughout. I liked it but not as much as I remembered id did.

MAN ON FIRE [2004 / 2015] [Blu-ray] Magnificent. . . Keeps You On The Edge Throughout! Explosive, Exhilarating, Essential! Two-time ACADEMY AWARDS® Winner Denzel Washington ignites a masterpiece of mayhem in this “powerful” action thriller. [Los Angeles Times] Hard-drinking, burned-out CIA operative John W. Creasy [Denzel Washington] has given up on life – until his friend Rayburn [Christopher Walken OSCAR® Winner] gets him a job as a bodyguard to a nine-year old Pita Ramos [Dakota Fanning]. Bit by bit, John Creasy begins to reclaim his soul, but when Pita Ramos is kidnapped, John Creasy fiery rage is released and he will stop at nothing to save her. FILM FACT: The real John W. Creasy, is a former CIA operative and former Force Recon Marine officer and now a mercenary. Daniel Rosas Sánchez "The Voice" is based on a real kidnapper, Daniel Arizmendi López. Just like the real Arizmendi López, "La Voz" believes in Santa Muerte. Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte or, colloquially, Santa Muerte (Spanish for Holy Death), is a female folk saint venerated primarily in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony, Giancarlo Giannini, Mickey Rourke, Rachel Ticotin, Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Jesús Ochoa, Gero Camilo, Mario Zaragoza, Charles Paraventi, Carmen Salinas, Esteban De La Trinidad, Angelina Peláez, Norma Pablo, Rosa María Hernández, Heriberto Del Castillo, Steve Gonzales, Andres Pardave, Hector Hernandez Zertuche, Georgina González, Abraham Sandoval, Jorge Victoria, Ariane Pellicer, Jorge Picont, Alberto Estrella, Gerardo Taracena, Elvira Richards, Javier Zaragoza, Enrique Cimet, Sparkle, Dunia Alvarez, Beatriz Pina, Hector Tagle, Rubén Santana, Fernando Berzosa, Eduardo Rivera, Victor De Pascual, Norma Martínez, Jorge Merlo, Fernando Arvizu, Ghalil Elhateb Estrada, Hugo Genesio, Gonzalo Alvarez, Ofelia Aguirre (uncredited), Rossana Fuentes (uncredited), Adrian Grunberg (uncredited), Jorge Guerrero (uncredited), Berenice Manjarrez (uncredited), Fernando Moya (uncredited), Stacy Perskie (uncredited), Manuel Poncelis (uncredited), Raul Zermeño (uncredited) and Jorge Zárate (uncredited) Director: Tony Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) Producers: Arnon Milchan, Conrad Hool, Don Ferrarone, James W. Skotchdopole, Lance Hool, Lucas Foster, Peter Toumasis and Tony Scott Screenplay: Brian Helgeland and A. J. Quinnell (Novel) Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams and Lisa Gerrard Cinematography: Paul Cameron Video Resolution: 1080p Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French: 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish: 5.1 Dolby Surround Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese and Korean Running Time: 146 minutes Region: Region A/1 Number of discs: 1 Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is an uncompromising look at the effects of kidnapping in Latin America. It is also a heartfelt character study about the relationship between a young girl [Dakota Fanning] and her bodyguard [Denzel Washington]. The film represents at the time a new direction for flashy action auteur Tony Scott, whose other hard-hitting films includes ‘Spy Game’ and ‘Enemy of the State.’ The film opens with subtitles explaining that “a person is kidnapped every sixty seconds in Latin America, and only 70% are likely to survive.” We witness an everyday businessman being dragged off of the street from his wife and into a getaway car, held for ransom, and finally returned to his family in the middle of a freeway, nearly naked, and physically damaged, which I will not elaborate on the violent details. The continued wave of kidnappings leads a couple [Marc Anthony] and [Radha Mitchell] worried about their only child, Pita Ramos [Dakota Fanning], to enlist the protection of an ex-government operative named John W. Creasy [Denzel Washington], who is haunted by his previous crimes against man and spends his days drinking his life away, eventually he reluctantly accepts the job. Every day, he drives Pita Ramos [Dakota Fanning] to school, and totally uninterested in her or her interest in John W. Creasy [Denzel Washington]. Eventually, John W. Creasy warms to the young girl because of her smart but somewhat innocent nature. As their relationship grows stronger, so does John W. Creasy will to live. One day, as Pita Ramos is coming out of the building where Pita Ramos has just attended her piano practice, but suddenly Pita Ramos is abducted, and John W. Creasy is shot several times by the abductors and left for dead. When John W. Creasy awakens, he begins investigating the kidnapping and unleashing his wrath on those responsible their unholy attack on civil liberties and especially kidnapping Pita Ramos. ‘MAN ON FIRE’ does not dish out angry revenge clichés, but ‘MAN ON FIRE’ takes its time and builds a case, allowing the first act to focus on the growing strong bond between John W. Creasy and Pita Ramos. The viewer comes to appreciate why John W. Creasy is so hell-bent on destroying those who took his ward Pita Ramos. ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is a moral drama about replacing an unacceptable evil with one that is acceptable. Though John W. Creasy is wanted by the police for his wave of destruction, John W. Creasy fills his void that the girl’s kidnapping have created. Denzel Washington is back to his old stomping ground where he returns to playing a multi-layered character who must not only overcome obstacles, but his own demons. Though he is tormented by the loss of Pita Ramos, he still takes pleasure in exacting his justified vengeance. What I really liked about ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is the over-directed and chaotic scenes that gives you a good adrenalin rush and especially where the visuals shifts with dramatic moves from slow-motion to emphasise key scenes and then goes into the ultra-hyperactive camera actions, to really make you feel you are involved with the action that is happening on the screen. Some people have criticised the strange use of subtitling and sometimes having the dialogue spoken in English and subtitled at the same time; and many of the words are often flashed on the screen, blown up three times the size, and uses devices to emphasize those very words. But the reason for that is because the Mexican actors have very strong Latin accents that sometimes you cannot quite understand what they are saying, but despite this, it still works for me. Denzel Washington was perfect for the role of John W. Creasy. He’s believable as both the “nice guy” and the “bad guy”. You buy into his character whether he’s joking with the little girl Pita or he’s cutting the fingers off of a man he’s interrogating. Not many actors could pull that off, but Washington does. John W. Creasy is a complex character full of contrasting sides. John W. Creasy is a born again Christian but also a cold-blooded assassin, but the same time he feels suicidal, but then realises he is also capable of being a father figure. That makes his personality and his dark history all the more interesting. Dakota Fanning as Pita supports Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning is talented beyond her years and it shows on the screen. Dakota Fanning displays a good mixture of maturity and childishness that makes her seem like an average kid that John W. Creasy could grow fond of. Playing Pita’s parents are Marc Anthony (yes, the famous Latin singer) and Radha Mitchell [‘Pitch Black’]. Both are excellent and play their roles with the right amount of anguish. Giancarlo Giannini [‘Hannibal’] and Rachel Ticotin [‘Total Recall’] are also excellent as the Mexican police and reporter on the trail of the kidnappers. The music in the film is an eclectic mix of tunes that works so perfect with the film. At times it sounds like Hans Zimmer’s ‘Gladiator’ soundtrack. At other times there are bizarre remixes of Linda Ronstadt songs. Then later it switches to Mexican guitar music. It all comes together to give the brilliant action-packed film a unique sound experience. One bizarre moment I’ll never forget is when John W. Creasy is torturing a man and a Mexican version of “Hey Mickey” is playing on the radio and it was totally surreal at times, but I feel this added to make the whole experience that the actors are also experiencing in the film. ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is still a brilliant rousing, furious action-drama. Most importantly, the hero is a man we want to get out there and do his job without any interference. His intentions become the hopes of the viewer, and when he gets the job done, we have every reason to cheer. If John W. Creasy, a man whose profession is murder, and Tony Scott, who has never shown heart in his storytelling, can both be redeemed this time round, then the film is as much about the power of redemption as is it is about vengeance. Top marks for a job well done for all involved with the film. Blu-ray Video Quality – ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is presented in a faithful brilliant 1080p encoded image transfer that perfectly replicates Tony Scott's fast action visuals. Colours are so rich and lush and the palette may seem oversaturated at times, but it never wavers or appears unstable. Black levels are incredibly deep, and the contrast is rock steady. Better still, detail is sharp and very natural; especially the skin texture, clothing fibres, and stubble look crisp and three dimensional. Just take one look at the scene in the Dakota Fanning bedroom. Take notice the book titles in the background, the stitching on the bed linens, and the trinkets at her bedside and every detail pops out, making this one of the most accurate presentations I've seen. It will certainly wow fans of this film and catch the eye of any newcomer sampling it for the first time. Blu-ray Audio Quality – ‘MAN ON FIRE’ features an awesome aggressive 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround track that does a brilliant job in reproducing both the roar of the pandemonium that happens throughout the dramatic film and also the subtleties of whisper voices of the actors. While the film’s first act offers mostly quiet ambiance and crisp conversations, chaos quickly moves in to dominate the sound field, making dynamics of the star of ‘MAN ON FIRE.’ We get brilliant commanding rumbles that mingle with balanced treble tones to produce a natural and powerful sound field. When I felt the impact of gunshots or explosions in the centre of my chest, I knew this track will give your Home Cinema AV receiver a good workout. Moreover, I was totally impressed with the number of individual elements present in the rear speakers and the sound designers managed to hurl immersive acoustics and explosive sounds across the back of my home theatre set-up throughout the awesome film. But most importantly the film's natural soundscape and stirring dynamics continually made me forget that I was watching ‘MAN ON FIRE.’ Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: A Collector's Edition DVD was released in 2005 and featured a feature length documentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. This is a massive disappointment for fans of the film, and one that leads me to believe we'll be seeing another high definition edition of 'Man on Fire' in the future. When will studios learn these lazy manoeuvres only serve to alienate fans and reduce the value of an otherwise exceptional Blu-ray disc? Theatrical Trailers: Man On Fire [2004] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:54]; The Sentinel [2006] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:00]; Mr. & Mrs. Smith [2005] [1080p] [2.40:1] [2:26] and Entrapment [1999] [1080p] [2.40:1] [1:58] Finally, ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is one of those rare brilliant films that comes out of nowhere and really surprises you. While at the same time it might not be a film for everyone, it is still an engrossing tale of revenge that is well worth checking out. What a refreshing rarity that is for a Hollywood film that has an ending that is a strong parallel to the kind of love we all wish for and it is really beautiful performances from everyone, but although it is also tragic ay times, but it is also equally redemptive. The message we get out of the film is that we cannot count on the authorities to help us and that sometimes vigilante justice is our only recourse. The final hour of ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is a violent experimental film in its own right; the camera spins and crash zooms wildly. The editing, machine gun quick, cuts between colour, black and white and strobe effects. Subtitles dance across the screen, sometimes cutting straight through the middle of the frame. Music jumps in and out, utilising disparate genres and artists, from Nine Inch Nails to Tony Basil. But as it stands, the ‘MAN ON FIRE’ of 2004 is an intriguing film, one that plays directly into Scott’s strengths, but also flings wildly into almost every direction at once. Somehow, through sheer act of craft, the experiment works. ‘MAN ON FIRE’ is an extremely important film in Tony Scott’s filmography and one that deserves more recognition as a turning point in his career as one of the true masters of action cinema. Highly Recommended! Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Fan Le Cinema Paradiso WARE, United Kingdom

Denzel Washington and Tony Scott Masterpiece. Tony Scott seemed to be a master of capturing the mood and atmosphere of a place or time almost perfectly. Nowhere is this more apparent than capturing the energy of Mexico city. The visuals are absolutely stunning with a powerful music score that blends perfectly from scene to scene. The plot centres around kidnapping which was big business in the 80s and 90s. I even remember reading about " The Voice " back in the papers. Dakota Fanning and Mickey Rourke round out the cast nicely. Good to see Mickey Rourke playing a non physical role and carrying it off perfectly. Denzel Washington is on top of his game here playing a nice guy who has his flick switched thereby turning into a demonical psychotic but still maintaining his cool and calm persona. Brilliant , Brilliant acting. Watch the film you will not be dissappointed.

„Rache ist ein Gericht, das man am besten kalt serviert.“ Dieses sizilianische Sprichwort wurde in „Mann unter Feuer“ von Tony Scott 2004 mit Oscarpreisträger Denzel Washington als ehemaligen Elitesoldaten John Creasy recht eindrucksvoll und bildgewaltig umgesetzt. Creasy verdingt sich bei der mexikanischen Familie Ramos als Leibwächter und muss sich da hauptsächlich um die kleine Tochter Lupita Ramos (die zurzeit viel beschäftigte Dakota Fanning) kümmern. Nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten freundet sich Creasy mit dem Mädchen an, kann aber dennoch ihre Entführung durch korrupte Polizisten nicht verhindern. Dabei wird auch John Creasy schwer angeschossen, wird aber dennoch von einem, ebenfalls korrupten Polizeichef öffentlich der Mittäterschaft bezichtigt. Als vermutet wird, dass die Kleine getötet wurde, macht sich Creasy auf einen Rachefeldzug und er radiert jeden aus, von dem er glaubt, dass er mit der Entführung zu tun hatte. Er überkommt die Entführer wie ein Racheengel Gottes, nur das seine Werkzeuge dafür nicht die sieben Schalen oder die sieben Trompeten aus der Offenbarung sind, sondern recht irdische Mordinstrumente, wie Schusswaffen und Messer. Da wird der Film dann sogar für eine FSK 16 ziemlich blutig, weil dann auch schon mal abgeschnittene Finger durch die Gegend fliegen oder gerne auch einen Windschutzscheibe mit Blut einsauen. Auf diese, nicht ganz allzu sanfte Art der Befragung bekommt Creasy natürlich auch Antworten. Mehr, als er eigentlich braucht und so kann er, ganz nebenbei, auch noch ein paar andere entführte Kinder retten. Immer mit dem Teil der Behörden in Mexiko am Handy, der rein zufällig mal nicht korrupt und somit in jede Entführung verwickelt ist und das sind nicht allzu viele, denn man bekommt im Vorspann erzählt, dass in Mittel und Südamerika alle 60 Minuten ein Kind entführt und deren Eltern erpresst werden. Nur 70 Prozent dieser Kinder überleben das und das entschuldigt dann auch die Härte, mit der John Creasy gegen die Entführer vorgeht ein wenig. So foltert und tötet sich der, durch die Entführung ja gescheiterte Leibwächter in der mexikanischen Unterwelt weiter vor und nach oben, dass es nur so seine Art hat und bringt den Film und die Story zu einem überraschendem, aber logischen Ende. Dieser gut gemachte Thriller von Tony Scott hat mir ganz gut gefallen und bekommt auf meiner persönlichen Wertung dafür auch die 9/10. Gerade Denzel Washington, hat mir in der Rolle des blutigen Rächers sehr viel besser gefallen, als in seinen bisherigen Rollen als Familienvater oder Anwalt. Wer Geld für eine gute DVD ausgeben möchte, dem sei hiermit „Mann unter Feuer“ ans Herz gelegt.

One hell of a good movie. If only it offered higher visual and audio quality (4k HDR, Dolby Atmos).

Tutto perfetto

Réalisé par le regretté Tony SCOTT, frère de Ridley et sorti en salles en 2004, le film s’attaque à un sujet brulant : l’enlèvement organisé par des bandes spécialisées, qui est devenue une industrie très lucrative. D’ailleurs, le ton est donné dès la première scène : on y voit un enfant enlevé, dont le père paie la rançon, son fils lui est rendu ligoté sur le bord d’une autoroute, en parallèle, le constat dressé en moins de deux minutes, est édifiant : il y a 1 rapt par heure en Amérique latine, parmi lesquels 70% des personnes sont tuées. A partir de cette tragédie quotidienne, SCOTT livre un film dynamique, doté d’une intensité explosive et à la mise en scène soignée. Baignant dans un rythme fluide, sans aucun temps mort, tout en prenant le soin de décrire le contexte social du pays où est centré l’intrigue : le Mexique, afin de mieux définir la psychologie des personnages, qui passent par toutes les émotions, sans perdre de vue les retournements de situation successifs et un suspense continu jusqu’au final. John Creasy, un ex-agent de la CIA, est engagé comme garde du corps par le couple Ramos, afin de veiller sur leur fille Pita. Ancien soldat tourmenté par son passé et ses actions militaires, il noie sa dépression dans l’alcool. D’abord distant, il commence à sympathiser avec l’enfant et l’aide pour sa compétition aquatique. Malgré tous ses efforts, des hommes armés aidés de flics corrompus enlèvent Pita et blessent Creasy de plusieurs balles. Une rançon de 10 millions de Dollars est demandée au couple Ramos, pour que leur fille leur soit rendu. A sa sortie d’hôpital, Creasy promet de tout faire pour ramener Pita. Ma critique portera sur l’édition Blu Ray, qui délivre un rendu HD digne du support, l’image est réellement magnifique, affichant un piqué parfait et des couleurs de toute beauté et le contraste est très dense. Côté son, la version française, comme la version originale sous-titrée en français, sont toutes deux proposées en DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, malgré cette norme commune, la version originale sous-titrée en français, reste celle à privilégier, la piste sonore affichant un dynamisme sans égal, assurant une très bonne représentation des scènes d’action, notamment au niveau des coups de feu et des explosions, tandis que la clarté des dialogues ressort impeccablement. Niveau casting, le duo star mené par Denzel WASHINGTON et Dakota FANNING remporte une adhésion immédiate, tant ils dominent la distribution de la tête et des épaules, le premier excelle dans son interprétation d’être humain malmené par la vie, qui reprend progressivement goût à la vie grâce à une enfant, le comédien est tout simplement magistral, tant son dosage des émotions s’équilibre parfaitement, tandis que la jeune fille, tout juste âgé de 10 ans, confirme son grand talent et son statut de star naissante, en étant d’une justesse absolue, très touchante, elle parvient à distiller les différentes gammes de sa palette de jeu, sans jamais en faire trop, ni trop peu. Les seconds rôles comme Christopher WALKEN, Radha MITCHELL, Mark ANTHONY et Mickey ROURKE sont tous au diapason, chacun apportant une crédibilité à leur personnage respectif, tout en assurant une très bonne performance. Il est dommage que leur temps de présence à l’écran ne soit pas plus grand. Un film choc, loin des clichés des cartes postales, qui se contentent de montrer des beaux paysages ensoleillés. Au contraire, empreint d’un réalisme impressionnant qui décrit très bien le quotidien d’une mafia spécialisée dans les enlèvements, activité qui rapporte une manne financière étonnante à ceux qui le pratique. Mais la nouveauté réside dans un côté émouvant, où les relations humaines tissées entre un adulte avide de rédemption et une jeune fille touchante et lucide sur le monde qui l’entoure, vont les changer pour toujours.