Image Credit: Netflix
man on Fire AJ Quinnell’s novel has been adapted several times now – this latest effort, a series from showrunner Kyle Killen (halo), differentiates itself through addition. Adopting both at the top (implicitly) man on Fire and its next novel perfect murderKilleen’s adaptation dives straight from the start into the background of rookie former CIA mercenary and PTSD sufferer John Creasy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), whose mission gone wrong ends up haunting him before he begins a stint as a hired gun in Rio de Janeiro.
Although the details have changed, the story once again finds Creasy charged with protecting a young girl, this time it is Poe (Billie Boulet), the daughter of his friend Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale), after her family is killed in a bombing at their condominium. Cersei seeks revenge and becomes involved in a larger conspiracy, as raiders attempt to hunt her and Poe down and silence them. There are more interlocking plots, more character arcs that intersect with the main story, more people swept up in the carnage of Cersei’s personal mission.
Many people will see the title and think of the 2004 film directed by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington, which moved the events of the book from Italy to Mexico. This is reinforced by how the series is shot: through its widescreen framing, the dominance of handheld camerawork, the contrast and saturation of its color tones, even if it is perhaps less vivid and much less visually distinct from the editing rhythms of Scott’s film. The score can also sound incredibly generic, and these stylistic misfires begin to accumulate and drag the show down.
Without such enthusiasm, some of the embellishments of Killeen’s version of this story might sometimes seem superfluous, much less interesting than Creasy’s attempts at vengeance. But once the series ties these disparate threads together, it becomes a little easier to appreciate Killen’s efforts to differentiate the series from the films.
man on Fire. (Left to Right) Daniel as Javier Bacca, Iago as Javier Vico, and Reynaldo Jr. as Duda in episode 104 of Man on Fire. Ten million. Juan Rojas/Netflix © 2024
Thankfully, after a slow start, Killen’s show maintains some of the book’s esoteric spirit, even in moments that will delight fans of the Scott film, such as an airfield shootout that ends with some wild improvisations. And once the series gets going, there’s some value to be found in how the series humanizes its extensive cast, especially when it pits them against the increasingly terrifying Cersei.
This won’t be the first time Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has stepped into the shoes worn by a legendary actor, considering his previous role as Morpheus in The Matrix Resurrections. But Abdul-Mateen is eminently capable of playing those roles, here playing off Cersei’s sensitivity as well as her capacity for animal violence as a demonic desire she tries to suppress. That said, it’s thoroughly enjoyable to watch him terrorize hired goons who are more out of their depth than they know – especially when the show’s action sequences incorporate Abdul-Mateen’s massive frame into the choreography as blunt objects seem to collide with him.
Granting that comparisons are inevitable, this is a surprisingly different take on Denzel Washington’s equally serious and closed-off version of the character. Abdul-Mateen’s Cersei, though still keeping her wards at an arm’s length, is more communicative and understanding about Poe and her relationship with her father than her previous iteration.
man on Fire. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as John Creasy in episode 101 of Man on Fire. Ten million. Juan Rojas/Netflix © 2024
This may make the emotional journey a bit messy, given that he begins the series by giving Poe the kind of emotional support that the original story and its adaptations struggled to provide. Additionally, when their relationship should feel like the core of the series, it is often left to the periphery for the sake of the growing group over time.
But it also makes sense to try to create a different kind of emotional cover to poke holes in this role. man on FireEven if the results are mixed. Their relationship is built on the runway rather than her domestic life as in the films and books, but at least it still feels important when the guilt-ridden Abdul-Mateen smiles, just as it feels important when Boulet as Poe braves her own stories separate from Creasy’s mission of revenge. Given that the cast can manage the story being told through the nuances of their performances, it can seem a little disappointing when the show relies on these characters saying the subtext out loud, rather than trusting the audience to see how they react.
New man on Fire At times it may feel like it’s diluting itself in its attempts to feel different from its previous iterations, but it still gets some basic details right: specifically, the bloody, bone-crushing violence and the conflicted sense of the man enacting it.
man on Fire. (Left to Right) Bruno Suzano as Beto, Daniel Javier as Bacca, Iago Javier as Vico, Reynaldo Jr. as Duda and Alice Braga as Valeria Melo in episode 104 of Man on Fire. Ten million. Juan Rojas/Netflix © 2024
MVP of man on Fire
Without Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the show sank; Her alternately luminous and tortured performance as Creasy, a man plagued with guilt and PTSD over her past line of work, always keeps that emotional conflict clearly visible, even when nothing is being said. That clarity smooths out a lot of the ups and downs in screenwriting, and his composure in action scenes as well as intense interrogation scenes makes him a driving force.
Decision
as new man on Fire As the plot meanders through several subplots, it sometimes misses the simplicity of previous adaptations as well as their visual dynamism. But its effort to stand out from previous adaptations makes a lot of sense. And for the most part, the basic thrill of a shady criminal network (and government operatives) incurring the wrath of a man capable of matching their brutality remains intact.
