The whole movie positively oozes low-level malevolent violence – once things really start moving – all wrapped up in the late Tony Scott’s standard directorial flourishes.
Now a story has emerged from filming that movie commentator Todd Spence has shared via Twitter.
During filming of a pool scene that required an overhead shot, Tony Scott made use of the diving board to achieve the required height. However, what he did next was unexpected. According to screenwriter Brian Helgeland, this is what happened:
A naked Tony Scott barrelling towards you at speed, from height? It is little stories like this that make you miss Tony Scott. He had a, excuse the pun, maverick streak.
Screenwriter Brian Helgeland's Tony Scott story during the filming of MAN ON FIRE is fantastic. pic.twitter.com/CCN5LfVUiv
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) April 23, 2024
Man On Fire features a split between critics and audiences. Professional critics placed it at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, whereas audiences gave it an A- score.
Journalist Paul Davies comments on this, stating the critical reception to Man on Fire in the United States was “somewhat less than kind” because critics did not like the vigilantism that Creasy uses. Davies argues that most critics missed the point entirely because Creasy takes absolutely no sadistic pleasure in his revenge, it is just a quest for information to reach those responsible.
Audiences, meanwhile, ate it up. It was well-regarded in Mexico, where people in the street had already had enough of cartel-driven criminal behavior. Original author Quinnell was also a fan of the adaption.
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