Joe Pesci Movie:

Man on Fire Reviews:
poetic revenge flick
2005-10-21 - I watched this after seeing the 2004 remake and i was quite surprised by how good this one is; Scott Glenn gives a suitably haunted and melancholic performance (despite his dorky 80's wardrobe; no man can look cool with puffy shoulders & his coat-sleeves pushed up past his elbows) and Jade Malle has just the right combination of lonliness and intelligence as the kidnap victim. Joe Pesci has a great weapons prep scene (opening a crate of handguns he says gleefully, " I ran into some old friends of ours. Do you recognize any of these guys?") but he isn't really given much to do. The violence is quick and dirty. The director, Elie Chouraqui, directs in a style that recalls Brian DePalma when he was at his peak. All in all i would say this version of MAN ON FIRE is definitely worth seeing. Its no surprise that when Quentin Tarantino was a video store clerk he used to recommend it to people. Check it out.

Please... please... bring this out on DVD
2005-06-26 - I have no idea why this did not make a bigger splash. Most of the main characters in this movie have gone on to have awesome careers. Maybe they should have played it as an art house movie! Thís interpretation of Quinnel's novel is much slower paced and thoughtful (if a violent, revengeful, crime type film can go there)than the current production. More importantly to me, after reading the book, Scott's performance was dead on. The scene where the kidnapping has occurred and he is about to be killed is hair raising in how well he played his character (once you watch, you will definitely understand!!!) This is not a "fun" film to watch, but is a great study into the human condition and shows that even the toughest cases are redeemable. Let's start a DVD petition... :)


Oh, by the way.... I highly recommend the book too.. either before or after the movie.

Man on Fire
2004-10-30 - The original, starring Scott Glenn. A little more true to the book than the remake, with a slightly different take on the story. Both are good, but worth watching for different reasons. The original was filmed in Italy vice Colombia, but the basic theme is the same: a conflicted man trying to escape his past and find something in the world worth living for. If you like the movies, I would also highly recommend the book of the same title, by A.J. Quinnell.

Enjoy!

Man on Fire
2004-05-22 - Denzel's finest hours no questions. Man on fir is jammed pack with action and emotion. The book to movie transition was amazing. Deffinately in my top 3 movies ever made. Denzel and Dakota Fanning hit this one out of the park, their characters matched perfectly. I could not see anyone else playing Denzels role, only Denzel could pull that off and he did just that and more.

Outstanding
2004-05-21 - This movie is definitely in my top 5. A tale of sacrifice for love. I can't ask for anymore. It's not for those with weak stomachs because a person filled with violent intents for a valid wish of revenge can get pretty nasty. Denzel and Dakota give the best acting performances I've seen in any movie for a long time. You've never seen Denzel like this... ever.

Jones