Man On Fire

Marines

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I recently rented "Man On Fire" with Denzel Washington (I get all the releases early). I am quiet the film buff and I have to say its one of the best films I have seen all year. The acting, cinematography and special effects are right on. The movie is so close to the heart it breaks the mold when it comes to films like this. It is so well made...I can't even go on you really have to see it to understand.

"A bullet always tells the truth."
 

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DAMN IT!!! I was going to rent that tonight but we got "Passion Of The Christ" instead. Anyone seen that one yet? We're watching it tomorrow.
 

Dano

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The Passion is great. Was wondering about man on fire if it was any good.
 
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I'm as much in the dark as eveyone else here about how good it is, but looking at the advertisement, it seemed like a good movie.
 

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BarcelonaBlom said:
Yes it was I think it was the best movie of the year and the girl should get an Oscar or something.

That was the same girl in Sci-Fi's Taken series, right? Great young actress.
 

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I would have to rate BOTH movies as a high A..........on a scale from A-F.
Washington plays an excellent role in "Man on Fire".
"Passion of the Christ"......well......it just speaks for itself.
I just usually cant get into movies with subtitles, as this one is in Hebrew and Aramaic....but it didnt bother me on this one.

Mark
Deo Vindice
 

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Man on Fire was good, I wasn't as huge on it as the rest here apparently, but I liked it.
 

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Unfortunately, the original book was far, far better.

The protagonist went to a little village on a small island in the Siciliy area - IIRC - to recover. He spent his time working with the locals, drying himself out, regaining his physical stamina and skills, and getting a handle on what he wanted to do.

The main problem I had with this film was threefold:

1. Denzel Washington, an otherwise outstanding actor, does not do sheer rage or contained fury well at all. His best "menacing glare" is hardly different from his instrospective look. He is better at other kinds of films.

2. Denzel Washington is black. The only reason this matters is that it would be almost impossible for a black man to "blend in" with and hide amongst an Italian population. But in the original book, the guy is white and can pass for Italian, and has learned the language and the dialect. He does blend in, and can move efficiantly through the people around him without sticking out like a sore thumb. Chalk this one up to Hollywood and its Oscar fixation.

3. I dislike changing endings as a general rule. The original protagonist did not die, nor did the little girl live. The fact that the little girl - in the book - was both sexually molested and then brutally murdered is, in fact, what fuels his all-conmsuming rage and need for revenge. It is what literally sets him "on fire", and drives him to any lengths, no matter how brutal, to bring revenge and retribution to the kidnappers and anyoner else involved. For once in his life, he finally had feelings again about someone, and he is determined to bring pain and suffering and death to any responsible for taking it away from him and leaving him in his emotional limbo again. Without that clear motivation, the remaining movie version is badly weakened.

Washington, to me, is not so much an action star as a very human kind of guy who does better in films that display that side of him. Some actors are like that, and it is a shame that Hollywood forces them to "cross the line" into acting areas in which they are not as comfortable or as capable. If the black guy had been Wesley Snipes, for example, the problems with the movie would have remained, but the rage would have been there for all to see. That venerable old-timer, Sidney Poitier, did contained rage very well indeed.

The old-timer white actors, all gone now, would have done it even better. They came from a different lineage, before all the touchy-feely stuff, when America worshipped tough-guy bad-ass actors. The "white" thing, BTW, just goes back to blending in with a bunch of Italians. Pacino or De Niro would have portrayed the protagonist superbly.
 

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Unfortunately, the original book was far, far better.

The protagonist went to a little village on a small island in the Sicily area - IIRC - to recover. He spent his time working with the locals, drying himself out, regaining his physical stamina and skills, and getting a handle on what he wanted to do.

The main problem I had with this film was threefold:

1. Denzel Washington, an otherwise outstanding actor, does not do sheer rage or contained fury well at all. His best "menacing glare" is hardly different from his introspective look. He is better at other kinds of films.

2. Denzel Washington is black. The only reason this matters is that it would be almost impossible for a black man to "blend in" with and hide amongst an Italian population. But in the original book, the guy is white and can pass for Italian, and has learned the language and the dialect. He does blend in, and can move efficiently through the people around him without sticking out like a sore thumb. Chalk this one up to Hollywood and its Oscar fixation.

3. I dislike changing endings as a general rule. The original protagonist did not die, nor did the little girl live. The fact that the little girl - in the book - was both sexually molested and then brutally murdered is, in fact, what fuels his all-consuming rage and need for revenge. It is what literally sets him "on fire", and drives him to any lengths, no matter how brutal, to bring revenge and retribution to the kidnappers and anyoner else involved. For once in his life, he finally had feelings again about someone, and he is determined to bring pain and suffering and death to any responsible for taking it away from him and leaving him in his emotional limbo again. Without that clear motivation, the remaining movie version is badly weakened.

Washington, to me, is not so much an action star as a very human kind of guy who does better in films that display that side of him. Some actors are like that, and it is a shame that Hollywood forces them to "cross the line" into acting areas in which they are not as comfortable or as capable. If the black guy had been Wesley Snipes, for example, the problems with the movie would have remained, but the rage would have been there for all to see. That venerable old-timer, Sidney Poitier, did contained rage very well indeed.

The old-timer white actors, all gone now, would have done it even better. They came from a different lineage, before all the touchy-feely stuff, when America worshipped tough-guy bad-ass actors. The "white" thing, BTW, just goes back to blending in with a bunch of Italians. Pacino, for instance, would have portrayed the protagonist superbly and believably.

Ah, well...this is the same Hollywood that always used white men as American Indians and cast the immortal John Wayne as Ghengis Khan. the Fench said it all: "The more things change, the more they stay the same." :D
 
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I liked the movie a lot as well. I even bought it, the movie reminds me of Max Payne (the game). Just done very well, and just the thought of one man, becoming a vigilante to take down the crooked people and criminals is awesome.

I thought Denzel did a good job, but I am sure someone alse would do better. I do agree that a black guy, amognst White/tanned folks sticks out like a sore thumb, but whatever.

This reminds me of another good movie along the same lines (vigilantes) Boondock Saints.
 

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My 2 Cents...

I liked the quiet parts where he bonds with the little girl which helps him to overcome his personal demons the best up to the point she gets kidnapped. (a good action sequence by the way) Once the movie shifted to revenge mode I think it lost a lot.

I liked Collateral better, and Heat better then both.
 
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The movie was first done in 1987 with Scott Glenn. I missed the beginning, when I saw it on TV. What I did see was interesting, but the overall pacing was too slow, and I started flipping channels.

Anyone see this version?
 

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NORAD said:
I liked the quiet parts where he bonds with the little girl which helps him to overcome his personal demons the best up to the point she gets kidnapped. (a good action sequence by the way) Once the movie shifted to revenge mode I think it lost a lot.

I liked Collateral better, and Heat better then both.
Collateral was an incredible movie. So well shot, I'm sorry to say I've never gotten around to sitting down with Heat, since I hear Mann's style was just as good back then I really need to give it a whirl.
 

Panzer Meyer

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Overseer said:
Collateral was an incredible movie. So well shot, I'm sorry to say I've never gotten around to sitting down with Heat, since I hear Mann's style was just as good back then I really need to give it a whirl.
I have HEAT on DVD as well, VERY good movie. The shoot out with the cops outside the back is one of the best I have ever seen.

Anyone seen Boondock Saints?
 

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Panzer Meyer said:
I have HEAT on DVD as well, VERY good movie. The shoot out with the cops outside the back is one of the best I have ever seen.

Anyone seen Boondock Saints?
Interestingly enough, if you come up to my school, you can find Boondock Saints in some form in every single male dormroom or apartment, and a large number of female dormrooms/apartments.
 

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Marines said:
I recently rented "Man On Fire" with Denzel Washington (I get all the releases early). I am quiet the film buff and I have to say its one of the best films I have seen all year. The acting, cinematography and special effects are right on. The movie is so close to the heart it breaks the mold when it comes to films like this. It is so well made...I can't even go on you really have to see it to understand.

"A bullet always tells the truth."
i don't recall this film at the moment. I'm sure it is worth viewing if Denzel Washington is in it! imho and ymmv!
 

Panzer Meyer

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Overseer said:
Interestingly enough, if you come up to my school, you can find Boondock Saints in some form in every single male dormroom or apartment, and a large number of female dormrooms/apartments.

Well, it is a great movie.
I thought about getting one of their posters.
 
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