Man on Fire (Tony Scott , 2004)
Next time I watch a Tony Scott film I’ll look at the running time, and pace myself accordingly. Sorry, Tony, but I didn’t make it to the end of Man of Fire. Fortunately, I found one naughty critic who revealed that the story ended as I thought it would. At nearly three hours long, I was never going to get there.
A couple of things from the director’s commentary I found notable. First, his references to the state of mind of a man about to commit suicide – as he did himself only eight years later.
Second, he repeatedly refers to Denzel’s character ‘falling in love’ with Dakota’s (as opposed to ‘coming to love’ or whatever): with this huge dark guy and the tiny very fair girl, I found this verging on the transgressive – I mean in Tony’s mind, not so much the film – but, on the other hand, consider the final resolution.
On the director’s commentary to Man on Fire, Tony Scott says: ‘the toughest thing one … anybody can do in life is to attempt to take your own life’. He also refers to: ‘the darkest hole any human being can be in – when you’re going to take your own life’.
He jumped to his death in August 2012 off the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, LA.
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 20 March, 2017 | Now: 20 March, 2017