Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Alcoholic mercenary Creasy (Washington) is all washed-up, until his friend (Walken) finds him a job in Mexico City, as bodyguard for a rich family's little girl Pita (Fanning). The taciturn man and melancholy girl slowly develop a strong bond... that is utterly shattered the day that Pita is kidnapped and that negotiations are sorely mishandled."Man on Fire"'s title works against it. It proclaims an adrenaline- fueled action film, when in fact what we get is very different. What could be mistakenly thought to be a prologue (Creasy is introduced, meets Pita and the relationship is shown) constitutes a good half of the film's running time. Washington and Faning are on top form, the former tortured and angry and the latter endearing without being cloying, so it is a tribute to Scott and screenwriter Helgeland that the film takes its time showing their odd relationship. This makes things all the more hurtful and outraging when she is captured in a kidnapping that leaves Creasy severely scarred, both emotionally and physically.The film earns its title in the second half, not because of non-stop action - which it fore-goes in order to give us something more pondered and cruel - but because Creasy is literally ablaze with silent fury. As he hunts down anyone who participated or profited from Pita's kidnapping, dismantling rings of Mexico City's tower of corruption, his methods get bloodier while his movement actually get slower. Creasy races against time and his own likely death, as a tragic figure who's newfound reason to live has been taken away from him.

This has a good story and some great actors in it. So it was bound to be enjoyable and it didn't fail to live up to that expectation.But I've got an issue with the making. The editing of some scene(where the camera shakes, a lot of cuts happens. I don't know the right term for this) was simply annoying. If I somehow saw this in big screen I wouldn't be surprised to see some people get dizzy!! If the movie lacked this annoying bit I would've given it 7/10 easily.One thing I loved about this movie is how adorable Dakota Fanning was. Her acting was superb and complementary to the great acting from Denzel. An on the topic of Denzel's acting we cant expect anything less from the great actor.All in all this is far far better than typical action movies which addressed some real life problem of that time period in an entertaining way. Without that one issue this could've been a perfect action film.

Superficially, this movie is an action-packed tale of betrayals, kidnapping and revenge but it's also a story that features some unexpected twists, some well-drawn characters and a special relationship that contributes to the redemption of a "lost soul". Brilliantly written, acted and directed, "Man On Fire" is gripping, powerful and surprisingly moving at times and it's these qualities that make it so good and so enjoyable to watch.Ex-CIA operative John Creasy (Denzel Washington) arrives in Mexico City to visit his old comrade-in-arms (and fellow assassin) Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken) who runs a successful security business and Rayburn puts him in touch with local businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) who wants to hire a bodyguard for his 9-year-old daughter Pita (Dakota Fanning). The burnt-out, depressed and heavily alcohol-dependent Creasy is perfectly open with Ramos about his drink problem but is, nevertheless, promptly hired after a short interview.The children of wealthy families in Mexico City are prime targets for the organised gangs of kidnappers who seem to operate with impunity and demand huge ransoms for the return of the children. When Creasy carries out his duties, chauffeuring Pita to school etc., she tries to engage him in conversation but he resists, preferring to keep their relationship entirely professional. Over time however, he finds it impossible to remain so impersonal with her and they steadily bond when he coaches her to success in the swimming races that she enters. During this period, Creasy becomes less despondent and even starts to show some positive emotions but this healing period is suddenly brought to an end one day when he and Pita are ambushed and a shoot-out ends with her having been abducted and him having been hospitalised after being shot numerous times.Miguel Manzano (Giancarlo Gianni), a high-ranking agent in the Mexican Federal Investigation Agency, soon arranges for Creasy to be removed to another location to continue his recuperation because two of the four gang-members that he'd killed during the shoot-out were corrupt cops and attempts to kill him were therefore highly likely. Samuel Ramos' attorney, Jordan Kalfus (Mickey Rourke) then takes a leading role in the arrangements for transferring the $10 million ransom to Pita's kidnappers but during the exchange, the money gets hijacked by another gang called "La Hermandad". As a consequence of this, Pita's family are informed by her kidnappers that she's been killed and Creasy immediately decides to take revenge on everyone who was involved in the girl's abduction.The quality of this movie's screenplay ensures that the action never loses its clarity despite all the complications, corruption and betrayals involved and similar skill is shown in the ways in which various characters are introduced and developed. The dialogue is also equally impressive with numerous lines which instantly seem to become memorable (e.g. "the bullet always tells the truth").Denzel Washington portrays Creasy's despair about things he'd done in the past with tremendous power and credibility and his scenes with Dakota Fanning are terrific. Their exchanges provide some of the movie's best moments not least because of how measured and natural Fanning's performance is. Her present to him of a St Jude (the patron saint of lost causes) medallion is also particularly appropriate and poignant, as is the way in which he obviously values it so highly.This movie's stunts are spectacular and well choreographed by Director Tony Scott whose visual style so effectively reflects the fractured, damaged and unstable nature of the city in which the story's set. Overall, "Man On Fire" entertains so strongly because of its technical brilliance, its screenplay and its great performances.

In Hollywood, "redemption" is a character arc that plays very well in the cinemas. One would be hard-pressed to create a more intense, emotional story of redemption than what can be found in "Man on Fire".For a basic plot summary, this movie focuses on the character of Creasy (Denzel Washington), an alcoholic with a troubled, violent past. After visiting old buddy Rayburn (Christopher Walken), Creasy gets hooked up as a bodyguard for a family in Mexico City. While at first quite distant, Creasy eventually lets down his stern persona for a bit and forms a relationship with the little girl he is supposed to be protecting, Pita (Dakota Fanning).If you have seen the movie "Taken", then you already have a rough idea of how the plot line goes. Yet, under the direction of Tony Scott, "Man On Fire" is actually a better, more intense/emotional film due to its gritty undertones. This is a movie that does not pull any punches, so to speak, when it comes to portraying the kidnappings that so often occur in the big cities of Mexico. It is just a very emotional topic and is nailed so perfectly by Scott.Of course, the hallmark of this film is its acting from Washington and Fanning. I would argue that Denzel gives his greatest performance EVER, while Fanning (as usual) shows acting talent light- years beyond her age. The way those two characters interact with each other truly carry the emotional burden of the movie and provide the reason to "care" about what is going on. Plus, in typical fashion, the fiery side of Washington's acting persona is able to be revealed on more than one occasion.Thus, I consider "Man on Fire" to be one of the best movies I have ever seen. It is equal parts intense and emotional, and great acting performances abound. It is still difficult for me to believe that this flick was not nominated for any major awards (perhaps the graphic violence had something to do with it), because it would have been very much deserved in the acting, direction, and adapted screenplay categories.