Monday, August 29, 2016

Man On Fire by Michael Trenka


Michael A. Trenka

Writing as an Inquiry

Blog 1

Man On Fire

              In just one moment, one can understand how accurately the movie poster depicts the movie Man on Fire.  Man on Fire follows the life story of John Creasy, a troubled former CIA assassin.  When Creasy is hired as a family body guard in Mexico City, he becomes a father figure to the daughter of the family, Pita.  When Pita is kidnapped despite Creasy’s best efforts, a man on fire is born. Creasy uses his prior training to create one hell of an adventure with the sole goal to find Pita and eliminate everyone in his way.  Do to Denzel Washington’s portrayal as a protective figure and the general intensity of the poster, the poster depicts man on fire very accurately. 

                As we take apart the poster and relate it to the movie, a big thing that stands out is Creasy’s left hand over Pita.  This gives the audience knowledge that Creasy is very protective of Pita.  This heavily applies in the film.  The teddy bear is a hidden clue in the poster. In the movie, Pita’s teddy bear is symbol of hope for Creasy as he embarks on his mission.  We also cannot help but notice the gun in Creasy’s right hand.  In the movie, there is a scene where the street has been blocked off by police and Creasy and Pita are stuck in the middle of the street.  As soon as Creasy figures out that they are not police, he does everything in his power to protect Pita, using his gun to take out the Mexican mafia.  The actions taken by Creasy can only lead us to assume his role as a protector.

Making appearances in many movies and starring in his main films, Denzel Washington’s role in the film industry has been portrayed around action packed thrillers.  After seeing the poster to the film, Man On Fire, one can only assume to expect nothing less than an action packed thriller.  At the bottom of the poster we can see the quote “tough as hell”.  This gives us a sense of who Creasy is as a person as well as understanding that the mission he is about to endure, is not going to be easy.  As a viewer we can also see the red flames in the background, choosing the background of explosions immediately initiates a high level of intensity compared to a background of meadows and butterflies.  The artist of the poster decided to give Denzel Washington a look of fierce and determination on his face.  This furthers the theme of intensity carried throughout the movie. 

              All in all, the poster did not leave the viewer misinformed, as it gave interpretation of what kind of movie we are about to watch.  If seen as a timeline, the poster has three parts. The initial view of the loud, intense background comes first. Then, the viewer sees Washington’s character – fierce, determined, and wielding a gun. Finally, Pita, the most innocent looking girl, is seen, held back by Washington’s Gronkowski-like hand. In conclusion, the poster is a master piece.
Image result for man on fire

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