Man on Fire (1987)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Elie Chouraqui

Writers:

A.J. Quinnell (novel)
Elie Chouraqui (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

4 September 1987 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Action

Tagline:

For an ex-CIA agent, the job of bodyguard for a twelve-year old girl should have been a breeze...

Plot:

An ex-CIA agent is hired to protect the daughter of a rich American family. |

Plot Keywords:

Agent | Kidnapping | Italy | CIA | Friendship

Cast

Scott Glenn	...	Creasy
Jade Malle	...	Samantha / Sam
Joe Pesci	...	David
Brooke Adams	...	Jane
Jonathan Pryce	...	Michael
Paul Shenar	...	Ettore
Danny Aiello	...	Conti
Laura Morante	...	Julia
Giancarlo Prati	...	Satta
Inigo Lezzi	...	Bellu
Alessandro Haber	...	Sandri
Franco Trevisi	...	Rabbia
Lou Castel	...	Violente
Lorenzo Piani	...	Bruno
Giuseppe Cederna	...	Snake

Also Known As:

Absinthe
Un uomo sotto tiro (Italy)

Runtime:

USA:92 min | Germany:87 min (cut version)

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

French | English | Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | UK:18 (cut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Lake Como, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

7 Films Cinéma

Trivia:

Tony Scott was originally slated to direct. But the studio balked because at the time they felt he was not accomplished enough to pull off the project. He would go on to direct the remake Man on Fire (2004).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Creasy: And so. That's how I ended. A stiff in a body bag.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vengeance Is Mine: Reinventing 'Man on Fire' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Someone to Watch Over Me

Gritty European Style

Man On Fire is a pretty good movie. On the grittiness level, I would give it a ten. It is gritty. It is mean. It is the kind of movie that is good suspense and entertainment. But the "European Style" ruins parts of the movie. There are crucial scenes (like the ending), where the director cuts away to something else, and you never see what happened. That is a typical trait of the European style of movie-making, and it is highly annoying to be cheated out of the climax of some of the action sequences. So you have to guess what happened by watching the next scenes and discovering which characters are still alive and which ones have been killed or hospitalized. Except for this major issue, I like this movie a lot. It has a lot of power which comes from the under-stated acting of Scott Glenn. Because he is not a muscular athletic action star his predicaments are more realistic and the danger feels more real. Glenn and his co-stars do a good job of under-acting. One of the best things about Man on Fire is that the events unfold in an exciting manner because all of the actors are very subdued and natural. The cast is made up of outstanding actors.