I can't wait to see what the critics are going to say about this one.  They never seem to like a picture unless it's full of messages or the PCBS or a bunch of artsy-fartsy bullshit.  Most of us go to the movies to be e-n-t-e-r-t-a-i-n-e-d, NOT for the above reasons!  Well, this picture is pure entertainment, wrapped in a hard as hell shell of violence,
action, emotion and a TON of that age-old recipe for a successful picture, REVENGE!

Denzel (no last name needed) is (Mr.) Creasy, a guy that we know little about.  What we do know is that he is an ex bad ass who is down and out, broke and a drunk and is asked to take a job that he does not like in a place he doesn't want to go to, Mexico City.  Being a bodyguard is tough enough but guarding a rich ten-year-old from being kidnapped in El D.F. (Mexico City) is a HUGE and dangerous job.  When she is snatched and the payoff goes very wrong he vows vengeance on "all who did it and all who profited from it."  The carnage begins in a very methodical way and Creasy seeks out one perpetrator after another, constantly moving up the chain of command towards justice and a surprise that caught even ME looking in the wrong direction.

This is NOT the Denzel that we know.  Forget Training Day, Glory, Remember the Titans and everything else you've seen him in.  Creasy is ruthless, hard and shows NO mercy and at the same time is tender and caring with his charge, Pita, played by the fabulous Dakota Fanning.  She steals scene after scene from Denzel and you can see that their characters are "made for each other".  She is NOT a good child-actress. She is a great ACTRESS!  There are also well acted character roles by Mickey Rourke, Rachel Ticotin, Giancarlo Giannini and especially Christopher Walken. This picture is raw and hard-edged but well acted and after the first 30 minutes or so is non-stop action and
payback. The direction of Tony Scott is choppy and unorthodox in places and I will accept that as "his style" and just say that it is "different".  Not bad, just different.  The close look of Mexico City was harsh and scary but many people say the same about where I live.  This is a "Hollywood" production and you can see the money.  I think it was well spent.

"Revenge is a meal best served cold!"

RECOMMENDATION: I liked it and I will see it again.  Ignore what the so-called critics say and go see reality and justice, Denzel style.  Rated R for EXTREME, well-deserved violence.

TWO BLOODY THUMBS UP, WET TO THE ELBOW!!!

Movie Review  © 2004 by Terry Anderson