This Denzel Washington action thriller was savaged by critics in 2004, but over 20 years later it's an undeniable must-watch

I'll freely admit, I've always liked "Man on Fire." I've always liked Denzel Washington. I've always liked director Tony Scott. I've always liked when they've teamed up together. And while "Crimson Tide" remains their best team-up, this 2004 action thriller set in Mexico City has been a movie in the Denzel Watchathon I've been eagerly anticipating.

What I didn't realize, though, is that while I always loved this movie, critics hated it. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a rating of just 39% fresh. One review on the review aggregator (Nathan Rabin of AV Club) called it "Scott's latest exercise in assaultive excess nevertheless lingers for two and a half hours, like a drunken houseguest who won't leave." On Metacritic, it's a relatively abysmal 47 out of 100 average critic score. That's actually worse than the 5.4 out of 10 average score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Yet, while critics disliked "Man on Fire," audiences loved it. It's rated 89% fresh by audiences on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5. On Metacritic, things are more tempered, with it scoring just 7.4 out of 10 on average. It notched an A- Cinemascore and is rated 3.8 out of 5 on Letterboxd.

In short, someone is wrong here. Either the critics got it right, and this movie is an excessive montage of violence and not much else. Or, audiences got it right, and this is a darn good movie. Going in, I already was siding with the audience. But I haven't seen the nearly two-and-a-half-hour-long movie in years, so I was willing to be proved wrong.

If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have some good news and some bad news. "Man on Fire" isn't currently streaming on any of the best streaming services, but it is on many of the best live TV streaming services. You can stream "Man on Fire" as part of your YouTube TV subscription or buy or rent "Man on Fire" from Amazon right now.

Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.

'Man on Fire' knows how to build its characters and then unleash them

For those who've never seen this movie, it stars Denzel as John Creasy. He's a former Marine and CIA operative, and he's got a major drinking problem. So when he visits his friend Rayburn (Christopher Walken) in Mexico City and is told of a job opportunity as a bodyguard, he takes it. Frankly, he needs it.

But his charge is a precocious young girl named "Pita" (Dakota Fanning), and she quickly gets on his nerves. After a failed drunken suicide attempt, though, he comes to the realization he was meant to live and protect her. After time, he becomes a friend to Pita, and even a father figure.

This beautiful budding relationship is brought to a screeching halt, though, when Pita is kidnapped, and Creasy is left for dead at the scene. Once he wakes up, he learns she died after the ransom attempt went poorly. In response, he gets out of his sick bed and goes on a quest for vengeance that won't end until everyone is dead.

It takes a surprisingly long time to get to this point. It's around an hour into the movie that things really kick into gear. But that's okay.

For starters, as much as I love Denzel in this movie, Dakota Fanning is also excellent. So I have no problem watching them spend time bonding and trading barbs on screen for a while before the action starts.

We also know the kidnapping is coming. It takes a while to get there, but the entire time we know to expect it. The movie starts with a different kidnapping. It references that kidnappings are happening before Pita's abduction. Sure, you could argue that it undercuts a shocking moment to already know this. But the movie isn't about the kidnapping. It's about Creasy's response to the kidnapping.

And his response is brutal. It drew the ire of film critics. But there were no complaints from me as Creasy finds new creative ways to eliminate the criminal network that led to Pita's kidnapping and subsequent botched ransom. The highlight, for me, is when a guy who helped botch the ransoming is caught by Creasy and then given the world's worst suppository: a bomb that can be set off with a simple pager watch.

Verdict: The critics got this one wrong

Man on Fire | #TBT Trailer | 20th Century FOX - YouTube

Watch On

Is this movie perfect? No. The direction and aesthetics are overly stylized at times. Especially in the first act of the movie. It makes the film appear extremely dated.

But for the most part, this is an excellent, or at the very least, supremely enjoyable movie to watch. The first act's focus on Denzel and Fanning is a highlight, rather than a slog to get through. Then once the action starts, it's a high-octane thrill ride with some brutal moments worth of a John Wick movie.

So if you've never seen "Man on Fire" before, don't worry. The critics got this one wrong. This action thriller flick remains a must-watch Denzel performance, and Dakota Fanning's breakout is a bonus. If you have cable or a cable alternative, make sure to check if you can watch it on demand, and if you can, make sure you take advantage.

Stream "Man on Fire" as part of your YouTube TV subscription or buy or rent "Man on Fire" from Amazon now

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