2008 Woodie Awards
Denzel goes crazy for kidnappers
Movie: Fanning and Washington form special bond
By: Martha Ramirez
Issue date: 4/29/04 Section: The Arts
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Kidnapping, to many of us, is a foreign concept. However, to many people from Mexico it means living in constant fear.
"Man on Fire" is a movie that captures your heart, yet stuns the viewers with the action in it. It is truly one of the best movies Denzel Washington has starred in.
A scary statistic introduces the film: there is one kidnapping every 60 minutes in Latin America; 70 percent of those kidnapped do not survive.
Set in Mexico City, John W. Creasy (Washington) is an assassin who starts working for rich businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) as a bodyguard to protect his daughter Lupita Ramos, also known as Pita (Dakota Fanning) from kidnappers.
Young Pita takes an immediate liking to Creasy and names her bear "Creasy Bear," while Creasy remains indifferent toward her.
Gradually, she begins to win him over; this is noticeable when Pita wins first place in her swimming competition and they engage in a father-daughter-like hug.
For most of the first half, the movie focuses on the relationship between Pita and Creasy.
Viewers begin to wonder when the action will begin, but it is important that the audience understand the special bond between the two.
The film seems to drag early on, but picks up at the right moment.
The film shows the tension the feelings of insecurity of the people that kidnapping has created.
This is evident when Creasy is forced to show identification at Pita's school when he picks her up, and signs in after dropping her off at school.
The mood of the film completely changes when Creasy takes Pita to her first violin lesson.
In this dramatic scene, Creasy realizes something is wrong and yells for Pita to run; a gunfight erupts, he gets shot and Pita is kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the kidnappers have arranged a date and time with the Ramos family as to how and when the $10 million ransom will be left in exchange for Pita.
Despite Samuel following the instructions, the drop goes wrong and the negotiations end there. Pita is left for dead while a somewhat recovered Creasy adapts his role as an assassin, taking it upon himself to avenge Pita's death.
"Man on Fire" is a movie that captures your heart, yet stuns the viewers with the action in it. It is truly one of the best movies Denzel Washington has starred in.
A scary statistic introduces the film: there is one kidnapping every 60 minutes in Latin America; 70 percent of those kidnapped do not survive.
Set in Mexico City, John W. Creasy (Washington) is an assassin who starts working for rich businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) as a bodyguard to protect his daughter Lupita Ramos, also known as Pita (Dakota Fanning) from kidnappers.
Young Pita takes an immediate liking to Creasy and names her bear "Creasy Bear," while Creasy remains indifferent toward her.
Gradually, she begins to win him over; this is noticeable when Pita wins first place in her swimming competition and they engage in a father-daughter-like hug.
For most of the first half, the movie focuses on the relationship between Pita and Creasy.
Viewers begin to wonder when the action will begin, but it is important that the audience understand the special bond between the two.
The film seems to drag early on, but picks up at the right moment.
The film shows the tension the feelings of insecurity of the people that kidnapping has created.
This is evident when Creasy is forced to show identification at Pita's school when he picks her up, and signs in after dropping her off at school.
The mood of the film completely changes when Creasy takes Pita to her first violin lesson.
In this dramatic scene, Creasy realizes something is wrong and yells for Pita to run; a gunfight erupts, he gets shot and Pita is kidnapped.
Meanwhile, the kidnappers have arranged a date and time with the Ramos family as to how and when the $10 million ransom will be left in exchange for Pita.
Despite Samuel following the instructions, the drop goes wrong and the negotiations end there. Pita is left for dead while a somewhat recovered Creasy adapts his role as an assassin, taking it upon himself to avenge Pita's death.