[.ca] Man on Fire (Widescreen)

From Amazon.com:
Style trumps substance in Man on Fire, a slick, brooding reunion of Crimson Tide star Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott. The ominous, crime-ridden setting is Mexico City, where a dour, alcoholic warrior with a mysterious Black Ops past (Washington) seeks redemption as the devoted bodyguard of a lovable 9-year-old girl (the precociously gifted Dakota Fanning), then responds with predictable fury when she is kidnapped and presumably killed. Prolific screenwriter Brian Helgeland (Mystic River, L.A. Confidential) sets a solid emotional foundation for Washington's tormented character, and Scott's stylistic excess compensates for a distended plot that's both repellently violent and viscerally absorbing. Among Scott's more distracting techniques is the use of free-roaming, comic-bookish subtitles... even when they're unnecessary! Adapted from a novel by A.J. Quinnell and previously filmed as a 1987 vehicle for Scott Glenn, Man on Fire is roughly on par with Scott's similar 1990 film Revenge, efficiently satisfying Washington's incendiary bloodlust under a heavy blanket of humid, doom-laden atmosphere. --Jeff Shannon

Good Movie for Denzel:
I avoid most Denzel Washington movies. Generally he is cast in the role of a too-slick, too-smart, unbelievable hero character. In Man on Fire, he is cast differently, and it is great! He plays a decrepit assassin wore down by guilt and booze, but spurred by revenge, demonstrates a really mean streak. This is a different role for Denzel! The setting for the movie, Mexico City, is also different and refreshingly interesting. The plot is believeable. The ending is a bit too contrived, but overall, I found this action-drama entertaining.

Awesome movie:
This is one of my all time favorites movies it is so good dakota fanning and Denzel are prefect for it i own it and would cry if i ever lost it .. or just re-buy it i dont know who ever came up with this story line but they are brilliant!

the first half is better:
i really enjoyed the first half with the development of the friendship between pita and creasy. not slow or boring at all. i also like the saturated color of this movie. as for the second half, i found it a little too hero formulated.

Gritty:
This movie is fantastic. The first part of the movie sets up the audience perfectly, hope is given, taken away and then given to you again. This is a fantastic movie, I can't speak highly enough of it. If you like ANY of the actors in this movie; see this movie.

Disappointing:
A very disappointing film that tries too hard to be dramatic. Denzel Washington, who is an excellent accomplished actor, has his talent wasted on a film that does nothing but constantly bombard the viewer with slow motion and special effects. The result is a film with very little with regards to a plausible story line and the slow motion frames are distracting and irritating. Don't waste your time on this one; it is a total bore.