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.
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