Man on Fire (1987 film)

In Italy, wealthy families often hire bodyguards to protect family members from the threat of kidnapping. A wealthy family that needs a bodyguard hires Christian Creasy, a burned-out ex-CIA agent turned mercenary, to protect their daughter, Samantha "Sam" Balletto. Creasy has been broken down from all of the death and horror of combat he witnessed in Vietnam, South America, and Lebanon. Although Creasy is not interested in being a bodyguard, especially to a twelve-year-old girl, he accepts the assignment because he has no better job offers. The precocious child's persistent questions about Creasy and his life are all Creasy can bear. But as she gradually breaks down his tough exterior, his barriers come down, and he starts to open up to her. They become friends and he replaces her parents in their absences, giving her advice, guidance, and help with track. Creasy's life is shattered when Sam is kidnapped by the mafia. Despite being seriously wounded during the kidnapping, Creasy halts his recovery to get weapons from his former partner, David. Creasy vows Sam's safe return, as well as vengeance on the kidnappers. ==Cast==

Tony Scott was originally slated to direct, but, the studio balked because at the time they felt he was not accomplished enough to pull off the project. He would go on to direct the 2004 film adaptation, with Denzel Washington as Creasy. Producer Arnon Milchan wanted Sergio Leone to direct Robert De Niro, while Scott wanted either Marlon Brando or Robert Duvall as his leading man when he was slated to direct. The screenplay underwent several revisions. The music score for Man on Fire was provided by English film composer and music conductor John Scott. A cue from the film's score – titled "We've Got Each Other" in the soundtrack album – was later incorporated into the score for the 1988 film Die Hard. (The cue can be heard near the end of the film when John McClane and Holly Gennaro exit the Nakatomi Building and McClane sees Sgt. Al Powell face to face for the first time.) ==Distribution==

The film was screened at the 13th Deauville American Film Festival in Deauville, France. It was one of 40 films screened during the festival. The 13th Deauville film festival ran from 4 to 14 September 1987. ==Reception==

Leonard Klady of the Los Angeles Times said that the film's script "limps along as badly as its protagonist" and that the film "is simply cold-comfort movie-going." Michael Spies of the Houston Chronicle said that the film "not only lacks emotion, it lacks wit and cool. It just has lots of atmosphere." Eleanor Ringel of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said that the film "burns itself out well before it's done" even though Scott Glenn "manages to strike a few sparks along the way." Quinnell was much happier with the 2004 version of film, Visuals Eleanor Ringel of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that Creasy "introduces himself to us in a Sunset Boulevard–style opening." Desmond Ryan of The Philadelphia Inquirer said that the director "has invested a great deal of care in making Man on Fire visually interesting". James said, "Blink a few times and you'll miss Brooke Adams as Sam's mother, and Danny Aiello as the American ringleader of the Italian terrorists." John H. Richardson of the Los Angeles Daily News said that in the beginning of the film, Creasy is "a morbid guy" who has an appearance "like a thinner Chuck Norris, but he has these huge bags under his eyes and a twitch in his cheek, and he tends to stare off into the distance with the cosmic gloom of someone who has Seen the Darkness in the Human Soul." Kaufman added that the actor, as Creasy, "is a bit reminiscent of Chuck Norris." Ringel concluded that "[e]xcellent actor that he is, he lends power and authority to this disjointed work, but even he can't pull together a script that's heading off in opposite directions. After a while, you figure he took the part because the idea of a paid vacation in Italy was too appealing to pass up." Kaufman said that Glenn "turns in a creditable performance as the driven man." When asked in 2015 about playing the part of Creasy, Scott Glenn responded, ==Other adaptations==

Another film adaptation of Quinnell's novel, also called Man on Fire, was produced in the United States and released in 2004. The film was also produced by Arnon Milchan and directed by Tony Scott (who had originally been slated to direct the 1987 film), with Denzel Washington as Creasy and Dakota Fanning as his charge (renamed 'Pita Ramos'). The adaptation notably shifts the story's location from Naples to Mexico City.Compared to his critical response to the 1987 film, A.J. Quinnell praised the 2004 film. • Aanai - A Tamil-language remake, directed by Selvaa and featuring Arjun Sarja in the lead role. In March 2023, Netflix ordered a television series adaptation of the novel with Kyle Killen as writer and executive producer. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was cast as Creasy. ==References==