Man on Fire
5 Movies Like John Wick
Because nobody revenges like Denzel revenges, you know. Man on Fire casts the stoic leading man as John Creasy, who, like many of his contemporaries, had former ties with the CIA, and has taken up a gig as a bodyguard for a young girl in Mexico City as a last-ditch attempt at cobbling together some semblance of a life. Though he initially distances himself from his charge, she soon unveils his softer side, and he begins to grow fond of her. When he is shot and she disappears in a botched kidnapping attempt, he sets off on a quest for justice.
What makes Man on Fire so intriguing is the manner in which Creasy is portrayed. His life had no meaning until this child came into it, and now that she is gone, he has less than nothing; where once he was empty, there is now a chaotic void of pure rage. He feels responsible, and expendable. Washington gives us a man on the brink, like a self-imposed death row, where he is beyond redemption and judgment. A husk of a human being, driven by nothing but contempt. The Man on Fire, as it were, already walks through his own personal hell.
Plus, he kills lots of people and it looks like it probably hurts a lot. So that’s cool, too.
