Man on Fire

goldenhound32 said:If I recall correctly—and I usually do—it made way more sense for them to let the girl live than to kill her and risk him coming after them.

Based on the logic this movie actually establishes, the kid should have been dead long before he even tracked them down.

Man, it’s been ages since I sat down to watch this one, but I remember it being such a standout. The acting was top-tier and the story really hooks you.
Dakota Fanning was such a powerhouse even back then, and Denzel Washington absolutely nailed his role.
I also vividly remember how incredible the soundtrack was.

I’ve been reading through some of your comments, and I have to say, I’m a little lost as to what we're actually debating here. It feels like some of you are talking as if you deal with organized crime and kidnappings for a living.
I'm assuming you're picturing something like the chaos along the US-Mexico border or similar high-stakes environments, trying to propose these supposedly "logical" scenarios for how things would go down.
But honestly, maybe that’s exactly why movies like this get made—they don't always follow a perfectly "logical" sequence because life doesn't always work that way, especially when you're dealing with real-life events (though I can't say for sure).
Cheers 😁

Anonymous said:...maybe they wouldn't have killed the girl...

...watched it. It's an okay movie, decent enough to watch, but don't expect any Oscars out of this one...

...supposedly based on a true story, which gives it a slight edge, but things definitely didn't go down like that in real life... so that drags it down for me...

...great cast, but the director made some pretty dumb mistakes... like
that scene where Denzel Washington hits a car with a rocket launcher from his apartment... only a complete moron would do that, and the character he's playing is supposed to be a pro... it's ridiculous...😛

He hit the first (and maybe last) car, cutting off the big boss's escape route since he was in the car behind... then he went down, took out the survivors, and snatched the main guy... it wasn't totally pointless. He's a pro, just driven by revenge, so he's a bit more brutal because of that...

northerncrane4 said:Based on the logic the movie sets up, she should've been dead long before he even tracked them down.

If I remember correctly, the lead tells him it would've been better to leave her alive... and later when he finds them, I guess they didn't kill her just out of fear because he was on a killing spree. Actually, for a while, he even thought she was dead and was basically seeking revenge for her, until he hears from that woman at the club that she's actually alive...

northerncrane4 said:***But if he actually succeeds in his good deed, since the girl is still alive*** it makes the movie feel incredibly cliché.

SPOILERS

Why would that be cliché? For most of it, he thinks the girl is dead, so he's essentially getting revenge for her. Later, once he realizes she's alive, since he's already a "lost soul," he decides to sacrifice himself for her, to give her a better life...because at the end of the day, that's the only way to make it right... it's not like he's the Terminator and can just kill everyone. Plus, it's the only way to get to the boss. There's an alternative ending where he reaches the boss alive, they sit down, the boss offers him a cigar, Denzel Washington smiles, and the camera pans out... turns out he's got a bomb hidden like the one he gave that cop... basically blows himself and the boss up.
Personally, though, I think the ending we got is way better...

goldenhound32 said:So you're saying it's actually impossible?

Can someone walk me through why? I don't know the first thing about this kind of weaponry.

...basically, it works like this... when the rocket fires, those exhaust gases blast out and hit the wall behind you (or whatever surface is right there), creating a backpressure so intense it could literally shatter your ribs and crush your lungs...

...there is a design being worked on to fix this flaw, but it’s just a prototype for now; they haven't moved it into mass production yet...

...you won't even see stuff like that portrayed in video games...

This movie is pure genius. I just finished my fifth rewatch on my new Sony Bravia, and honestly, I’m still hooked. I don't quite understand why some people claim the quality drops off after the kidnapping sequence—that’s actually when the tension really starts to ramp up and the plot finds its footing.

All in all, this is one of those films that will definitely earn another viewing in my book. Oh, and the soundtrack? Absolutely flawless.

The concept of a syndrome—that vague, unsettling cluster of symptoms that refuses to be pinned down by a single diagnosis—has always struck me as particularly wearying. It’s that frustrating middle ground where medicine acknowledges something is fundamentally wrong, yet lacks the vocabulary to name it precisely. You spend months navigating the bureaucracy of American healthcare, bouncing from specialist to specialist, only to be handed a label that feels more like a placeholder than an answer. It’s a hollow sort of recognition. One begins to wonder if we aren't just grouping disparate failures together and calling it a phenomenon simply because we lack the courage to admit our own ignorance. kaže:
It goes exactly like this... during a rocket launch, the exhaust gases are released and simply bounce off whatever wall is standing behind you—or whatever structure happens to be in the vicinity. That force then slams back into you with such sheer, violent intensity that it ends up shattering your ribs and crushing your lungs.

Fine. 🙂

This could easily be its own dedicated thread. 🙂

I suppose I should probably weigh in here, though I’m rarely the one to lead the charge. It seems my previous observations were met with a certain level of skepticism, which is fine—honestly, I've grown accustomed to being the odd man out in these discussions. There is a particular exhaustion that comes with dissecting these narratives, a feeling that we are often just circling the same drain of predictable tropes and hollow sentimentality. One tries to find substance where there is none, perhaps out of a misplaced sense of duty to the medium, only to realize the well has run dry. It isn't quite cynicism, not exactly; it's more of a weary recognition of the patterns repeating themselves, over and over, until the novelty has completely evaporated. Anyway, if you'll permit me to continue, I have a few more thoughts on the matter, however uninspired they may seem to the rest of you. kaže:
Yeah, let’s be honest—the score was absolutely flawless.

I suppose that’s all there is to say. Short, blunt, and utterly devoid of substance. Typical.

The lead single.
Carlos Varela—one word.

The film was absolutely fantastic🙏, easily one of the best I've seen in a while. Denzel Washington was, as always, incredible🙏

Absolute banger of a movie 🙏

This is easily one of the better movies featuring Denzel Washington. I also think little Dakota Fanning looks like she has a bright future ahead of her in this industry; I’ve seen her in a few projects now, and I’d say she might be the next big thing in Hollywood.🙂👍

A truly magnificent piece of cinema

Great movie. Denzel Washington is a powerhouse, I’m a huge fan of Dakota Fanning, and the plot actually keeps you hooked—I even shed a few tears by the end. 🙂

I watched it for the third time yesterday and somehow managed to miss the first 5 or 6 minutes again
killer movie.

Hmm... 😁 impression. I got the same impression, regarding the original.

Maybe we should just start a dedicated thread for the original movie, then everyone can watch it together right here on the forum before we dive into the comments. Honestly, it’d be cool if the whole community picked a film to watch at once—or at least during this specific week—so we can all talk about it together. 😁

Hey everyone. This movie is actually solid—it’s being hailed as a top-tier remake, which I guess is rare. If you're curious, you might want to check out the original Man of Fire from 1987:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093489/

Personally, I think the 2004 version of Man of Fire was better.