Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Man on Fire Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 21, 2009

Raw and flashy, Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire” (2004) is yet another entry in the long list of violent revenge flicks. The cast is very impressive – Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Dakota Fanning, Marc Anthony, Rada Mitchell, Rachel Ticotin, Giancarlo Giannini, and Mickey Rourke – yet, the script isn’t. Courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK.

Serving justice

Tony Scott’s Man on Fire makes an admirable effort to look raw and chic at once with his impressively manipulated imagery, but it remains just another revenge flick with an unusually good leading man. The film tells the story of an ex-military agent with a drinking problem, John Creasy (Denzel Washington, Training Day), who gets a job as a bodyguard in Mexico City protecting the daughter (Dakota Fanning, I am Sam) of a wealthy businessman (Marc Anthony, El Cantante). He is introduced to his new boss by an old friend (Christopher Walken, Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead), also an ex-military agent, who has retired and found peace away from his native country.

It takes a while for Creasy and Pita, the girl he is hired to protect, to warm up to each other. At first, Creasy rejects Pita’s attempts to get closer to him; he explains that he is paid to be her bodyguard, not her toy. But then he falls for Pita’s charm and opens up. After her parents leave on a short trip, Creasy even helps Pita improve her swimming skills.

Man on Fire abruptly switches gears when Pita is kidnapped by a group of Mexican thugs and Creasy is shot in the chest and taken to a hospital in a critical condition. When he finally wakes up, he is informed that his little friend is missing. Barely able to speak, Creasy vows to find the men responsible for Pita’s kidnapping and kill them all.

What follows up isn’t too surprising. Creasy becomes a one-man army and begins tracking down everyone who has been directly, or indirectly, involved with the kidnappers. Along the way, he befriends a newspaper reporter (Rachel Ticotin, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) who agrees to assist him in his mission. Man on Fire culminates in a dramatic finale with the kind but very suspicious "A special thanks to Mexico City: A very special place”.

Shot in oversaturated colors, Man on Fire looks stylish but for the most part also too chic for a revenge flick. Tony Scott’s camera roams the backstreets of Mexico City rather effectively, but along the way it fails to let the audience connect with the film’s main protagonists. Aside from the opening twenty or so minutes where Creasy bonds with Pita, the rest of Man on Fire looks like a very long and very violent commercial.

Brian Helgeland’s adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s novel is packed with memorable lines such as Christopher Walken’s “Creasy’s art is death. He is about to paint his masterpiece”. But there is hardly anything memorable about Creasy himself; the more he kills, the less we learn about him.

Yet, despite of the film’s tricky script, Denzel Washington delivers a top-notch performance. His character is cracked on the inside but impenetrable from the outside. This allows for a few fascinating scenes throughout the course of the film that are arguably the only reason why you would want to see it. Christopher Walken adds plenty of credibility to Man on Fire as well; his character is one of the main reasons why over-sentimentality does not completely take over. As expected, the young Dakota Fanning makes a memorable but short appearance and quickly wins the audience with her touching performance.

Man on Fire Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.40:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tony Scott's Man on Fire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of 20th Century Fox-UK.

Fox have delivered a stunning transfer for Tony Scott's film! Detail and contrast here are outstanding, sharpness very convincing, and clarity as good as I expected it to be. The color-scheme is also very impressive. Man on Fire has a very unique look where all sorts of different colors are intentionally manipulated in order to enhance the gritty atmosphere surrounding the events taking place on the screen. Yellow, orange, brown, green, red, and black are all remarkably vibrant and at times even overpowering. As a result, the film does look quite extraordinary (the panoramic vistas from the slums of Mexico City for example look stunning).

This being said, the MPEG-4 AVC transfer used by Fox-UK appears to be identical to the one used by Fox in the United States. They are both extremely healthy and lacking any disturbing scratches, debris, or stains. To sum it all up, Man on Fire may very well be one of the best Fox films that I have seen released on Blu-ray thus far. (Note: This is a Region-free Blu-ray disc which you will be able to play on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Man on Fire Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In the audio department, there are some notable differences between the UK and US Blu-ray releases of Man on Fire. First of all, the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is available on the UK disc as well. This is a powerful, exceptionally well mixed and extremely potent track that delivers big time; the action scenes are loud and very crisp while the catchy ambient soundtrack - with a full and very chic Massive Attack-esque bass - very effective. Furthermore, there is a great deal of activity in the rear channels (the police sirens, the occasional guns shots, and the notable explosions from the first half of the film) that adds plenty of color to the overall viewing experience. On the other hand, the dialog is crisp, crystal clear and very easy to follow.

Second, the UK disc does not have the French Dolby Digital 5.1 and Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks found on the US disc. Instead, the UK disc gets a single Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a few extra sub-options (Tagalog, Indonesian Bahasa, Thai, Chinese, and Korean). This being said, the Thai Dolby Digital 5.1 track, similar to the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, does not suffer from any disturbing pops, cracks, or dropouts. For the record, the subtitles appear inside the film frame.

Man on Fire Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The US release of Man on Fire disappointed many fans of this film with its lack of extras. Fortunately enough, Fox-UK must have taken a note and all of the special features from the DVD version of this film now appear on the UK-produced Blu-ray disc. Vengeance is Mine: Reinventing "Man on Fire" is a five-part documentary ("Twenty Year Odyssey – project development", "The Business of Kidnapping – technical advisers", "Caught in the Crossfire – Casting and Characterization", "City of God – On Location in Mexico City", and "Fire and Passion – Visual and Emotional Style") that focuses on a number of different aspects from the film's production history. Here you would hear plenty of comments from the cast and crew addressing the film, its agenda, and technical execution. Next is a gallery of fifteen deleted scenes that could be seen with an optional commentary by director Tony Scott. "Pita's Abduction" offers a multi-angle sequence of the key scene as well as a script excerpt and a gallery of storyboards. Next is a photo gallery with stills from Man on Fire and the music video "Oye com ova" by Kinky. Finally, there are also three theatrical trailers for the film as well as a direct portal to its official UK, Australian, and US websites. This being said, the Blu-ray disc also has the two commentaries found on the DVD set – one by director Tony Scott and one by production designer Lucas Foster, Brian Hegeland, and Dakota Fanning. (Note: All of the extras discussed here are perfectly playable on Region-A PS3 and SA).

Man on Fire Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The UK Blu-ray release of Man on Fire should make plenty of people very,very happy. It boasts exactly the same outstanding transfer and thunderous DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track found on the US Blu-ray release, it is Region-free, and packed with all of the supplemental features fans of the film wanted to see on the US release. I personally have quite a few reservations about Man on Fire, but those of you who enjoyed it should certainly consider looking into the UK release. This is the complete package you wanted folks!