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Man On Fire

Archie

By Archie,
in Film, TV & Radio

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Archie

Archie

Posted
Posted

One of Empire's free screening thingys.

My initial reaction is... Tony Scott has gone insane. I've liked his stuff for a long time but this is shot more like an epileptic music video than a film. Plot isn't much to speak of,

Click For Spoiler

Broken man haunted by his past (blah blah blah) is employed to protect a girl who of course breaks down his facade, just before being kidnapped. Washington goes on killing spree through everyone involved after she is (not) killed, then sacrifices himself to rescue her at the end.

But I don't have so much of problem with that, however well-worn the story may be. I can't take much more camerawork like this - it's as bad as Bourne Supremacy in places, worse in others. Insane use of filters, incredibly shaky handheld work, extreme closeupsTM, blurred zooming, slowed-down and odd-frame sequences, strobe light cuts and constant freeze shots of nothing in particular. Subtitles used all over the place, fading in various 'imaginative' ways, even when the characters are speaking English!

I suppose looking back, you could see Scott was heading in this direction with Spy Game but the editing tricks were used in moderation there and I liked the visual style. This doesn't look like a Tony Scott film, and the camera tricks make it difficult to watch. It wasn't bad, decent acting, reasonable writing and action but I expected a lot better.

Ah well, at least it was free.

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V3zna

V3zna

Posted
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Tony Scott is great but i also fall into the cant take Denzel as an action hero camp, hes just not cool enough, better in Crimson tide type role.

I was never really a huge fan of DW's until I saw Training Day. He was absolutely immense in that film and I thought he was excellent in Man on Fire.

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McFly

McFly

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I was never really a huge fan of DW's until I saw Training Day. He was absolutely immense in that film and I thought he was excellent in Man on Fire.

While i can dig what you say, i dont really like Training Day that much Narc is far better drug cop thriller. I still want to see MOF, good date movie or not?

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V3zna

V3zna

Posted
Posted
What about the moral issue that surrounds the film? I havn't seen it but there's been controversy over Denzil's use of torture in the film...

The torture scenes are pretty graphic, and original, but the people that are being tortured deserve it within the context of who they are in the film. Bad people deserve bad endings.

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V3zna

V3zna

Posted
Posted
While i can dig what you say, i dont really like Training Day that much Narc is far better drug cop thriller. I still want to see MOF, good date movie or not?

Narc was another superb film. No better or no worse than the wonderful Training Day imo.

Dunno about MOF as a date movie though. I can't say why I think it might be but there are a couple of brutal torture scenes as well. :P

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V3zna

V3zna

Posted
Posted
Malcolm x

Courage Under Fire

Crimson Tide

Cry Freedom

??

:P

I am not disputing his performance in those films but in Training Day he completely blew me away. I suppose he's always been a great actor and I just didn't appreciate him until recent times.

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Rin

Rin

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I can't remember what I posted on here months ago when I saw it, but I remember the film taking an absolute age to get going. But when it did, it was reasonably good. Overlong, maybe, but I found Washington to act the part well even if it did look a bit ridiculous at the end. It's obvious parts of the character's personality doesn't suit the actor at all.

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Phybron

Phybron

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My initial reaction is... Tony Scott has gone insane.  I've liked his stuff for a long time but this is shot more like an epileptic music video than a film.  Plot isn't much to speak of,

I kind of agree. I liked the film, but I couldn't help being slightly annoyed by the fact that the craft and technique of film-making were made so apparent. Surely a good cinematographer, director and editor should make the movie compulsive viewing, without making the audience notice the cinematography, directing and editing processes.

It's a bit like they're all (Tony Scott most of all I guess) trying too hard to show us how great they are at making films and their mastery of filmic techniques, over and above telling the story of the film. It's like watching a directors' showreel.

And I read somewhere about Scott revolutionising the use of subtitles. Really? I just found them irritating flying about all over the place and translating Mexican-accented English for the benefit of morons.

Denzel Washington was great, but he always is. Mis-cast though. He's just not a convincing alcoholic. He was not the first choice, according to imdb.com:

Robert De Niro, Will Smith and Bruce Willis were offered the role of Creasy.

Marlon Brando was the original choice to play Creasy.

Denzel Washington was cast in this film because of a trip to a doctor. He ran into director Tony Scott in the waiting room of a medical office and the two men started chatting. Scott had not seen Washington in person since they worked together on Crimson Tide (1995).

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Aurelius

Aurelius

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Watched it yesterday! Excellent film! Sort of a hybrid between Kill Bill and Trainig Day.

Click For Spoiler

Only the ending was a bit weak, with him dying in the car and that cop shooting “the voice”. I was expecting Creasy to have one of those bombs up his ass and take the kidnappers out in a big explosion.

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X

X

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I watched the movie on DVD (R1) on Monday. Must say that I enjoyed it overall. I thought the "look" of the movie fitted well! I didn't think it was too long (146 minutes makes for a farily substantial movie). I wonder if there were any cuts for the UK release as it was violent in places.

Nice to see a DTS movie release (hence the lack of extras I suppose... other than 2 commentaries).

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Old Dear's Menu

Old Dear's Menu

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My ending: I would have had the bad guy be so smart that he strips Creasy naked -- no gun, no watch, nothing. He's naked in the motor. It would have been fun to make him sit on newspaper, because the seats are leather and the bad guy doesn't want to have to clean them. Maybe have him get pissed at all the blood or something. Make it a real blunt, dehumanizing experience for the dying Creasy.

So the bad guy takes Creasy to his hideout -- naked and unarmed...

And BOOM! Death by C4 anal charge! (Callback to the guy Creasy exploded under the bridge).

Distasteful -- but they *did* set it up.

Maybe Walken coulda shown up with his own anal charge for some real ASSassination!

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El Geet

El Geet

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I like DW but I really didn't like this film. I didn't even watch to the end as it was so predictable...of course now everyone will tell me there is a massive twist.

I found the little girl utterly repellent...she was some sort of 30 year old stuck in a child's body. It made the whole relationship seem almost unwholesome.

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Terry Tate

Terry Tate

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I'm sorry if someone has already mentioned this but I didn't see it and it is well worth repeating.

Best use of subtitles ever in any movie! They don't just appear on the screen, they assault the viewer as the appear in different places all the time and in different size's. Bloody, fantastic.

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  • 3 weeks later...
aubergine

aubergine

Posted
Posted

Watched this last night.

Overall I enjoyed it, I didn't really expect to as normally I can't stand DW, he was pretty good in this, although I think it would've suited Willis a lot more...

The beginning dragged a little and maybe got a little too sentimental for my liking, the middle was great, not quite as brutal as I expected/wanted though, the end was sort of disappointing (I was expecting some sort of c4 charge in "The voice's" brother) but not terrible.

The editing got a little OTT in some places for my liking too.

Still a pretty good film.

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  • 1 year later...
Couch Corpse

Couch Corpse

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The character in this movie had the attitude and balls that Thomas Jane should have had in Punisher.

Yes!

I found the little girl utterly repellent...she was some sort of 30 year old stuck in a child's body. It made the whole relationship seem almost unwholesome.

Yep, it doesn't work if you want the kid dead. Same as Ransom.

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