Man on Fire (2004 film)
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| Man on Fire (2004) | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster for Man on Fire |
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| Directed by | Tony Scott |
| Produced by | Lucas Foster Arnon Milchan Tony Scott |
| Written by | Novel A.J. Quinnell -Screenplay- Brian Helgeland |
| Starring | Denzel Washington Dakota Fanning Christopher Walken Giancarlo Giannini Radha Mitchell Mickey Rourke Marc Anthony Rachel Ticotin |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Cinematography | Paul Cameron |
| Editing by | Christian Wagner |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (US, Italy, Netherlands, Argentina, Spain, France, UK) Paramount Pictures (Germany) Other various worldwide distributors |
| Release date(s) | April 23, 2004 |
| Running time | 146 minutes |
| Language | English Spanish |
| Budget | $70 million |
| IMDb profile | |
Man on Fire is a 2004 action drama thriller film about an ex-CIA operative/assassin who takes the job as a bodyguard and takes revenge on a Mexican kidnapping gang after they kidnap the child he was hired to protect. The film was directed by Tony Scott, starring Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Mickey Rourke and Christopher Walken.
The film is a remake of the 1987 film of the same name, and both films are based on the first of a series of books by author A. J. Quinnell, about a former U.S. Marine and Foreign Legionnaire turned mercenary. Critically acclaimed and commercially successful, this remake was released on April 23, 2004 in the U.S. and drew $23 million in its opening weekend, and has grossed $130,293,714 internationally.
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[edit] Plot
In Mexico City criminal gangs are kidnapping rich people and their families for the lucrative ransom money. On the advice of his lawyer, Mexican businessman Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony), like other wealthy people, hires a bodyguard to protect his nine-year-old daughter Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning), and to be able to renew the family's ransom insurance. The head of an executive security firm, Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken) suggests that Ramos hire Rayburn's old CIA buddy John Creasy (Denzel Washington).
Ramos is impressed with Creasy's résumé, which includes a variety of counterinsurgency and counter-terrorism activities. However, Creasy has since become uninterested in life. He is burned out from all the death and horror and has taken to alcoholism to ease the burden. Creasy is not interested in bodyguard work and even less with the youngster, but he needs a job. Creasy's initial impatience slowly fades as he finds himself opening up to the child. He replaces her parents in their absence, giving her advice and coaching her in her swimming lessons and competitions. He helps her overcome her fear of starting guns, turning it into an eagerness to move at the sound of one. Pita gives Creasy an emblem of St. Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, saying she bought it for him with her own money.
Shortly after delivering her to a piano audition, Creasy notices a suspicious vehicle driving past and a pair of police cars blocking off the surrounding street. As Pita emerges from the building and freezes, Creasy pulls out his gun and fires a shot into the air, similar to a starting gun, startling her to running away. During the ensuing gun battle, four of the attackers are fatally shot, including two corrupt police officers. The battle leaves Creasy seriously wounded and unconscious, allowing the surviving kidnappers to grab the child.
Shortly after the kidnapping, gang leader Daniel Sanchez demands a dead drop ransom of several million dollars in exchange for Pita. The drop goes badly, the kidnappers are ambushed by a corrupt police gang called "La Hermandad", and the money is stolen. Sanchez notifies Pita's parents that the child will not be released, and everyone assumes she is dead. It is during this time that Creasy is made into public spectacle by the police chief while unconscious in his hospital bed, claiming he has murdered two judicial police officers.
Rayburn shows up at the hospital after hearing the news and aids in helping Creasy escape to a safe house to further recover from his injuries. After Creasy recovers from his wounds, he returns to Pita's home and promises her mother that he will kill everyone who was involved in, or profited from, the kidnapping. Creasy kidnaps and tortures several "La Hermandad" members, forcing them to reveal the names of the people involved in the kidnapping ring. Also Ramos admits setting the whole kidnapping up in order to get insurance money as he was bankrupt. He then commits suicide with a gun provided by Creasy.
With Rayburn's help, Creasy buys a variety of guns, explosives, and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher. He uses the weaponry to kill a number of corrupt Mexican police officers and high-ranking law enforcement officials who were involved in the kidnapping. After Creasy learns where Sanchez lives, he fights his way into Sanchez's apartment. Although Creasy is wounded in the gunfire, he gains the upper hand, and captures and tortures Sanchez's brother and ex-wife.
To save his brother, Sanchez admits that Pita is alive, and offers to exchange her for his brother and Creasy. Creasy agrees, and travels with Pita's mother to a remote rural area to make the exchange. After Pita runs to her mother, Creasy is hustled into a car, which speeds off. As Creasy succumbs to his gunshot wounds, he drops the emblem of St. Jude that Pita gave him. An epilogue reveals that Sanchez was killed during a police raid that same day, his location discovered by special operations police who were electronically following Creasy's movements and actions.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Denzel Washington | John W. Creasy |
| Dakota Fanning | Lupita "Pita" Martin Ramos |
| Marc Anthony | Samuel Ramos |
| Radha Mitchell | Lisa Martin Ramos |
| Christopher Walken | Paul Rayburn |
| Giancarlo Giannini | Miguel Manzano |
| Rachel Ticotin | Mariana Garcia Guerrero |
| Jesús Ochoa | Victor Fuentes |
| Mickey Rourke | Jordan Kalfus |
| Angelina Peláez | Sister Anna |
| Roberto Sosa | Daniel Rosas Sanchez a.k.a "The Voice" |
| Gero Camilo | Aurelio Rosas Sanchez |
| Mario Zaragoza | Jorge Ramirez |
[edit] Songs in the Movie
| Song | Artist |
|---|---|
| The Mark Has Been Made | Nine Inch Nails |
| The Wretched | Nine Inch Nails |
| Le Negra | Ruben Fuentes |
| Prelude In B Minor, Op. 28, No.6 | Frédéric Chopin |
| Blue Bayou | Linda Ronstadt (written by Joe Melson & Roy Orbison) |
| The Art Of Self Destruction, Part One | Nine Inch Nails |
| The Downward Spiral (The Bottom) | Nine Inch Nails |
| Self Destruction, Part Two | Nine Inch Nails |
| The Great Below | Nine Inch Nails |
| Field-Goal | Kinky |
| Clair De Lune | Claude Debussy |
| Guadalajara | Pepe Guizar |
| Nocturne No.4 In F, Op. 15, No.1 | Frédéric Chopin |
| Gavin Leaves Message | David Arnold |
| Corridor | David Arnold |
| Gavin See's Val and Kids | David Arnold |
| Follow Me Down | Clint Mansell |
| Katie Snow Dreams | Clint Mansell |
| Embry Threatens | Clint Mansell |
| Take Me With You | Clint Mansell |
| Oye Como Va | Kinky |
| Mickey | Toni Basil |
| Razzle Dazzle | Jo Park |
| Nessun Dorma From Turandot | Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Adami, Renato Simoni |
| Más | Kinky |
| Deedrah Reload (GMS Remix) | Deedrah |
| Juice (Live Mix) | G.M.S. |
| GMS Vs Alien Project | G.M.S. |
| Bring Out The Gimp | G.M.S. |
| Hell-Bent | Dean Scott |
| Space | Baby Doc, S-J |
| Premajor | Massive/Power/Strike |
| Una Palabra | Carlos Varela |
| The Search | Michel Jean Pierre Colombier |
| Creasy Dies | Harry Gregson-Williams & Lisa Gerrard |
| Man On Fire (Remix) | Harry Gregson-Williams, Hybrid & Lisa Gerrard |
| Zulu | Hybrid |
| The Drop | Hybrid |
| Swimming | Hybrid |
| Menace (Full Mix) | Hybrid |
[edit] External links
- Man on Fire Official Site
- Man on Fire (2004) at the Internet Movie Database
- Man on Fire at Box Office Mojo
- Man on Fire Script (pdf)
| Preceded by Kill Bill Volume 2 |
Box office number-one films of 2004 (USA) April 25, 2004 |
Succeeded by Mean Girls |
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