Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken and Dakota Fanning in the Tony Scott movie ‘Man on Fire’

The 1980 novel Man on Fire by A.J. Quinell (aka Philip Nicholson) is the basis of an action crime drama directed by Tony Scott. Man on Fire (2004), presented by Scott as based in Mexico rather than Italy like in the book, treats us to a sweet if unlikely relationship between a despondent alcoholic and a kidnapped young child.

(From left, Denzel Washington as John Creasy and Christopher Walken as Paul Rayburn in the Tony Scott movie Man on Fire).

In this movie set in 2003, the former Central Intelligence Agency paramilitary officer John Creasy visits old friend Paul Rayburn. Convinced by Rayburn to take a bodyguard position for Mexico City automaker Samuel Ramos, Creasy begins protecting Ramos’ young daughter Lupita (called Pita); the kidnapping insurance policy on Lupita Ramos required the hiring of a bodyguard. Creasy, Rayburn, Samuel Ramos and Pita were portrayed by Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony and Dakota Fanning, respectively.

(From left, Dakota Fanning as Lupita (Pita) Ramos and Radha Mitchell as Lisa Ramos in the Tony Scott movie Man on Fire).

Burned out, guilty of his past with the CIA and consumed with a need to drink alcohol, Creasy had attempted to end his life. Saved when his gun misfires, and reminded by Rayburn that “a bullet always tells the truth,” a new lease on life renews Creasy. With new purpose in protecting Pita, reduced drinking and an interest in the Bible, Creasy bonds with Pita through the protection detail and an interest taken in the girl’s swimming.

(From left, Giancarlo Giannini as Miguel Manzano and Rachel Ticotin as Mariana Garcia Guerrero in the Tony Scott movie Man on Fire).

It was following a piano lesson that the storytelling moved from establishing background truths to moving in a severe direction. Two Federal Judicial Police had taken to blocking the street whereupon Pita would be abducted. Killing attackers and sustaining critical injuries, Creasy becomes a suspect. Reporter Mariana Garcia Guerrero as portrayed by Rachel Ticotin and Federal Ministerial Police officer Miguel Manzano take exceptional steps in protecting Creasy against the allegations and concrete threats placed on his life while regaining some semblance of health. Giancarlo Giannini portrayed Manzano.

(From left, Mickey Rourke as Jordan Kalfus and Marc Anthony as Samuel Ramos in the Tony Scott movie Man on Fire).

The threading of the backstory including Jordan Kalfus and Samuel Ramos, as portrayed by Mickey Rourke and Marc Anthony, respectively, mixed in well with a vengeance tale that, at some level necessary and foreseeable, from the earliest parts of the movie. The gravitas of getting to that resolution was carried through with subtlety and finesse, with the understatement of Denzel Washington‘s style in getting there serving as a redeeming quality for the film. That multiple characters stood up to do the right thing in winning the day for the film, while necessary, made for a sizable message of righteousness that felt, oddly enough, out of place for me in this film.

(Director Tony Scott on location for the Tony Scott movie Man on Fire).

I enjoyed this movie, with the screenplay as written by Brian Helgeland, more than might seem like I did. My score for Man on Fire as directed by Tony Scott is 3.5-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Top 20 Movie “Pulp Fiction”

Top 20 Movie Pulp Fiction (1994) ranks 6th in Matt Lynn Digital’s Top 20 Movies in ranked order listing. The Quentin Tarantino directed and co-written film won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Tarantino and Roger Avary while garnering seven Oscar nominations in total. While Forrest Gump (1994) starring Tom Hanks was busy winning six of its thirteen Academy Award nominations, Pulp Fiction was the movie bringing true pulp fiction to the big screen with a Vintage Library definition for the genre that includes “[b]igger-than-life heroes, pretty girls, exotic places, strange and mysterious villains.” This sixth movie on our top movie listing brings four stories of stylized pulp violence intertwining with movie actor legend homages into tales of would-be redemption.

As has come to characterize many movies by Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction provided a pulpy, nostalgic, retroactive sense for a filmmaking or popular culture past that Tarantino, in my opinion, looked to celebrate. The narrative lines starting with Vincent Vega as portrayed by John Travolta and Jules Winnfield as portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson are two examples, as they were working at the behest of Marsellus Wallace (played by Ving Rhames) when we first meet them.

Vincent and Jules were tasked with retrieving the briefcase and other property of Marsellus from an apartment while killing the occupants. The two banter about hamburgers and escorting Marsellus’ wife later in the movie when they eventually kill two apartment occupants while letting a man in the bathroom go unchallenged. That man comes out gun blazing at Vincent and Jules and, from the reckoning of Jules, miraculously misses the two of them while emptying the weapon of its magazine of bullets. Jules takes this as a sign that it is his time to leave the business.

(Jules, left, and Vincent)

These two eventually continue their back-and-forth dialogue in their vehicle when Vincent accidentally makes a mess of their car by accidentally shooting the man from the bathroom. The two head to Jules’ old pal Jimmie (as played by Tarantino). Jimmie uses his fleeting connection to Marsellus to call in a fixer to care for the situation, wherein Jules and Vincent acquire a ridiculous shorts and t-shirt outfit as a penance for the Wolf (played by Harvey Keitel) fixing the car and the deceased apartment occupant.

(Jimmie, left, and the Wolf)

Awash in the miracle miss from the apartment, Jules and Vincent stop for breakfast at a diner that leads to the second major story. Pumpkin (played by Tim Roth) and Honey Bunny (played by Amanda Plummer) stage a robbery with murder by gun threats and a collecting of patron wallets. Jules gets the wallets back with intimidation, though lets Pumpkin and Honey Bunny keep his money without revenge since Jules sees his life after the apartment as a sign to leave the lifestyle.

At Marsellus’ apartment, the third and fourth stories get more traction. We meet Butch Coolidge, a boxer played by Bruce Willis that Marsellus contracts to lose a fight. Bruce spars with Vincent here as Jules banters with the bartender on how Vincent must escort Mia Wallace (played by Uma Thurman) for the evening.

(Mia, left, and Vincent)

Dressed normally again, Vincent takes drugs (heroin) before picking up Mia for the night. Mia prepared for the evening by having taken cocaine. At a retro 1950s club, we see Steve Buscemi cameo as Buddy Holly as a lead in for Vincent and Mia stylize dancing. Mia finds and takes Vincent’s heroin, and overdoses right there in the club. Vincent gets adrenaline and revives Mia with a giant hypodermic of adrenaline. Both Mia and Vincent agree on parting company that Marsellus needs learn nothing of this.

In anticipation of his fight, we learn through flashback to an episode from Butch’s childhood that Christopher Walken as a prisoner of war had smuggled a watch back to Butch in the USA from the POW camp in Vietnam. In the present day, we see Butch knock out his opponent in the boxing ring before being comforted by his girlfriend in a prearranged motel where she waits. Marsellus, unhappy with the loss experienced at this turn, puts out a hit on Butch.

The next morning, Butch tempts fate by returning to his apartment to grab his watch. Mixed up in another apartment scene in a bathroom, Butch regains his watch and kills Vincent, who was there to kill Butch. Upon leaving, Butch literally runs into Marsellus in the street. The second chases the first into a sleazy gun shop. The two are set to be treated quite badly by the shop owner and his friend. Butch escapes, selects a samurai sword from the first floor, and comes back to rescue Marsellus by killing Zed the friend while leaving Maynard the gun ship owner for Marsellus.

(Marsellus, left, and Butch)

Thankful for being saved and being offered revenge for the gun shop attack, Marsellus agrees to let the boxing treachery slide if Butch leaves town. Retrieving his girlfriend on Zed’s chopper, Pulp Fiction ends with Butch as the big winner in a sea of misery as he rides off to Knoxville declaring to his girlfriend that “Zed is dead.”

(Butch’s girlfriend, left, and Butch)

Matt – Thursday, December 21, 2017