Man on Fire

The first time I watched this, I fell in love with it and gave it 5 stars. Then, a few months later, I was vetting my 5 star films list and decided to bump it down to 4.5 because I wasn’t sure I considered it a favorite that deeply shaped my sensibilities as a filmmaker. However, upon rewatching it, that was a bullshit take of mine and I should be burned at the stake. Tony Scott’s Man on Fire is kinda the perfect action film. The central character gets just enough exposition to make us sympathize with him without shoving it down our throats, and we actually have time to get to know both him and Pita and fall in love with their relationship before she’s kidnapped. The dialogue is KILLER with so many gut-punching line deliveries (no one’s doing it like Denzel), lines that are closer to poetry than dialogue. And of course the action is stellar, with such raw anger fueling the most batshit revenge killing spree you can imagine. And the EDITING STYLE!!! I love stylized editing and we are LACKING IN THIS SO BAD RN!!! Rest in peace Tony Scott, there will never be another like you and I’m still waiting on the world to give you the flowers you deserve. Community quote: “Hi police, how much do you charge for anonymous tips on kidnapping?”