Man On Fire

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +3

Content: -3 1/2

In this dark thriller set in Mexico City, Mr. and Mrs. Ramos (Marc Anthony and Radha Mitchell) hire Maurice Creasy (Denzel Washington) as a bodyguard for their daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning). Creasy spent years as an assassin for the U.S. government and drinks continually out of remorse for the people hes killed. Pitas childish innocence draws him close, and he goes from maintaining an emotional distance to caring for her as his own daughter. Creasy helps with her homework, coaches her swimming and even quits his drinking. But their relationship is blown apart when kidnappers snatch Pita. Creasy suffers life-threatening wounds from the attack but later climbs away from the hospital bed in order to bring grisly justice down on the kidnappers. His thoughts are haunted by the small girl whom everyone has written off as dead.

Man on Fire shows corruption being punished and key characters struggling with God to understand life, but this ones not for the weak of stomach. Theres lots of killing, and most of it is bloody. Creasy is driven to kill those involved in the kidnapping of young Pita. He dismembers a man to get information before killing him and shoots off the hand of another to make a point. Two of the characters turn to the Bible for answers, but neither is able to forgive. The film raises the issue of how to handle the suffering of the innocent, but it doesnt offer solid, morally based answers. One woman, for example, agrees to have sex with a law enforcement officer in order to get information that will lead to the capture of other dishonest officers. This tale of vengeance has excessive gore, torture and carnage and is loaded with bad language, including 27 f-words and 24 occurrences of profanity. Be warned and dont get burned.

Preview Reviewer: Blaine Butcher
Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (28) times mild (hell 5, damn 3); moderate (butt 7); strong (ass 4, bitch 7, SOB 2)

Obscene Language: Many (49) times moderate (piss 2, crap 2, screw 4, suck 2); strong (f-word 27, s-word 5, finger gesture 6, prick 1)

Profanity: Many (24) times moderate (MG 7, G 6); strong (GD 7, J 1, C 3)

Violence: Many times mild (shoving and struggling, man pushes man away from door, man shoots gun into the air, dogs fight); moderate (suicide attempt, stabbing, numerous shootings, man hits man with a gun, car explodes with a rocket, man burns down building, man ties up six people, little girl kidnapped, husband and wife slap each other in anger); strong (man cuts off persons fingers and burns the ends with a cigarette lighter, man cuts persons throat, man puts explosive up a mans rectum, man shoots mans hand off with a shotgun, bloody dead man found in a pool)

Sex: Few (2) times mild (wife in underwear approaches husband on a bed, man and woman talk about having sex and then are shown in underwear)

Nudity: Several times mild (near nudity with women in underwear and tight bikini tops)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Several times mild (girl asks What is a concubine?); moderate (man grabs womans buttocks, man and woman talk of sleeping together); strong (woman uses obscene language to say she has sex with a man)

Drugs: Many times mild (men and woman drink alcohol and smoke); moderate (man gets drunk alone)

Other: Appropriate use of God in dialog (Do you think God will forgive us?, God be with your child, the hand of God, between them and God, be with God, meet God); man reads the Bible in search of peace, and woman reads the Bible instead of going to nightclubs when her daughter is kidnapped; nun is portrayed positively; man knows scripture verses; man prays to the Virgin Guadalupe; man tells little girl to burp to avoid piano lessons; Mexico City portrayed as a dangerous place; man attempts suicide and thinks God has forgiven him when it doesnt work)

Running Time: 138 minutes
Intended Audience: Adults

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