Man on Fire (2004) on Netflix
Ex-CIA officer John Creasy, drinking heavily in Mexico City, takes a bodyguard job guarding nine-year-old Lupita Ramos. When she is kidnapped and he is left wounded, Creasy vows to find her.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb7.7/10426,405 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes39%
Trailer
Plot summary
Mexico is in the grip of a kidnapping wave, and wealthy parents in Mexico City are hiring bodyguards for their children. John Creasy, a former Marine and CIA officer worn down by guilt and drink, comes to the city to see his old friend Paul Rayburn, who steers him toward a job with Samuel Ramos, an automaker whose insurance policy requires a bodyguard for his daughter, Lupita, known as Pita. Creasy takes the work without enthusiasm. The nine-year-old wears him down with questions, and he begins coaching her swimming and finds comfort in the Bible, drinking less. Then, waiting outside her piano lesson, he spots a car that has been following them and knows they have come for her.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Man on Fire (2004)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Producer Arnon Milchan looked at Michael Bay and Antoine Fuqua before reaching out to Tony Scott. 20th Century Fox wanted the film to stay in Italy, with an early draft set in Naples, but Scott argued kidnappings had become too rare there by the 2000s, so Mexico City was chosen for its high kidnapping rate.
SPOILER
In 2024 screenwriter Brian Helgeland revealed an alternate ending axed by the studio, in which Creasy survives his injuries, confronts the Voice in his office and kills both himself and the Voice in a suicide bombing, mirroring Fuentes' earlier demise.- The kidnappers in the film, brothers Daniel and Aurelio Sánchez, were allusions to the notorious Ear Lopper brothers, Daniel and Aurelio Arizmendi Lopez. Kevin Freese of the Foreign Military Studies Office remarked that the reference appeared to go unnoticed by much of the audience.
- Robert De Niro was initially offered the role of Creasy and Gene Hackman was also considered, but Scott cast his Crimson Tide collaborator Denzel Washington. Marlon Brando was first choice to play Rayburn, and Ricardo Darín was offered the role of The Voice but declined.
- Marcelo Ebrard, who was the Chief of Police for Mexico City at the time, served as a consultant to the producers, with the hope that the film would raise awareness about the ongoing issue of kidnappings in the region.
- The film prominently features music by Nine Inch Nails, with lead singer Trent Reznor credited as Musical Consultant, and the soundtrack includes six songs by the band.
