In Just One Scene, Denzel Washington Certified He’s a Brilliant Action Star in This Overlooked Thriller

Throughout his illustrious career, Denzel Washington has been just as compelling in the action genre as he is in his dramatic work. From his early attempt at playing a charismatic hero in 1991’s Ricochet to a lone street crusader with a checkered past in The Equalizer trilogy, the Oscar-winning actor exudes brilliance in every nuance of his performances. Out of any action film in his filmography, however, 2004’s Man on Fire single-handedly made Washington into a certified badass. Now, fans will be able to witness the late Tony Scott’s overlooked thriller when it arrives on Netflix on January 1.

Man on Fire marked the second adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s 1980 novel, as the previous Italy-set version released in 1987 starred Scott Glenn in the vengeful bodyguard role that Washington inhabits. Reviews were largely negative at the time of release, with a rotten 38% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes stating the film’s “solid action and top-shelf cast are undone by a relentlessly grim story that gets harder to take the longer it goes on.” Over the years, Man on Fire has earned a large following through streaming due in part to the shocking violence at the hands of Washington, which novelist Quinnell praised for capturing the character’s volcanic anger on screen.

What Is ‘Man on Fire’ About?

Burned-out ex-CIA agent John Creasy (Washington) arrives in Mexico to see his old friend Paul Rayburn (Christopher Walken), now the head of a private security firm. Rayburn talks the deeply troubled Creasy into becoming a professional bodyguard for auto manufacturer Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony) and his wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell). Protection is specifically needed for the Ramos’ daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), with whom Creasy forms an unlikely bond.

While awaiting Pita to leave piano class, Creasy gets ambushed by kidnappers posing as Mexican police who take the young girl hostage and leave the bodyguard seriously injured. Orchestrated by the unseen “La Voz” (Roberta Sosa), Pita is held for a $10 million ransom that must be paid by the Ramos. With Creasy viewed as a suspect in the kidnapping by the authorities, the bodyguard vows to raise hell with the abductors and their leader in the shadows when the ransom takes an apparent, tragic turn.

Prior to Man on Fire‘s arrival on screens, the action genre was largely comprised of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s superhuman feats and Jackie Chan’s jaw-dropping martial arts stunts. Washington often takes a character-first approach, in which he makes the audience feel the true ramifications of violence. In Ricochet, he has to stoop to John Lithgow’s psychotic level in the final act in order to overpower him. Similarly, his Oscar-winning role as Alonzo Harris in Training Day had a clear purpose, utilizing violence to make a powerful statement about his authority. What makes Man on Fire stand out from any Washington-led action film is having the star portray a flawed warrior who does not thrive on danger but weaponizes it regardless of the moral consequences.

The Scene That Solidified Denzel Washington’s Action Hero Status in ‘Man on Fire’

Within Scott’s manically edited, gritty-toned thriller, Man on Fire features levels of shocking graphic violence equally brutal as any Quentin Tarantino production. Washington’s Creasy leaves a large body count in his path for revenge, extending to firing a rocket launcher in the middle of a busy street and, most infamously, interrogating a villain with a bomb implanted into his rear end. But the true moment where Washington establishes a dominant presence as a stand-out action star is the scene in which Creasy kidnaps corrupt Mexican cop Jorge (Mario Zaragoza).

In the middle of a bright day inside a car full of Jesus paraphernalia, Creasy cuts Jorge’s fingers one by one and uses a cigarette lighter on the wounds to get information out of him. Washington never raises his voice, nor does he hesitate in his actions. He asserts control with quiet rage that makes the torture increasingly brutal and discomforting for the viewer. Even as Scott’s intense cross-cutting between the torture and Creasy’s flashbacks of Pita’s kidnapping adds to the momentum of the scene, the attention never strays away from the terror in Washington’s calm demeanor.

Never once does Man on Fire feel like a typical popcorn movie, because Washington bares a soulful truth in Creasy that goes beyond the typical one-dimensional action heroes of the genre. Without one-liners and expensive special effects, Washington’s performance lives up to the strength of the movie title.

Man on Fire will be streaming on Netflix on January 1.