{"id":2600254,"date":"2026-05-08T08:31:59","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-of-netflixs-man-on-fire\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T08:36:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T12:36:24","slug":"review-of-netflixs-man-on-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/review-of-netflixs-man-on-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Netflix&#8217;s Man on Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">12<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Freview-of-netflixs-man-on-fire%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2600254&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece argues that Netflix\u2019s decision to keep turning movies into limited series is risky, pointing to several weaker or uneven TV adaptations before focusing on *Man on Fire* as a timely example. It claims Netflix\u2019s seven-episode remake of A.J. Quinnell\u2019s novel is better than Tony Scott\u2019s 2004 film, mainly because it offers more solid, well-staged action rather than chaotic stylization-though it still struggles in key areas.<\/p>\n<p>The reviewer says the show\u2019s biggest problem is casting: Yahya abdul-Mateen II plays John Creasy, a disgraced ex-Special Forces mercenary, but the performance lacks the magnetic presence the role would require-especially when compared to Denzel Washington\u2019s earlier film portrayal. Abdul-Mateen\u2019s character is give new purpose when he\u2019s invited to help a family fight radicals in Rio,but the plot escalates after a massive attack leaves 16-year-old Poe Rayburn as the only survivor and witness. Poe must be protected and kept hidden while terrorists and officials close in.<\/p>\n<p>Visually and structurally, the reviewer finds the series\u2019 Brazil setting effective and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tiger-king-2-review-slapdash-pointless-moral-catastrophe\/\" title=\"&#039;Tiger King 2&#039; Review: Slapdash, Pointless Moral Catastrophe\">early episodes<\/a> engaging, praising choreography and pacing. they highlight a tense interrogation scene and note that the editing feels more restrained than scott\u2019s film, which has aged poorly. However, they also criticize the dialogue as overly aphoristic and sometimes poor, the villains as interchangeable, and parts of Poe\u2019s acting as uneven-especially in quieter \u201ceveryday\u201d scenes. The review concludes that, despite these flaws, the series is still enjoyable genre entertainment, but it questions whether Abdul-Mateen can realistically become a top-tier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/media-shocked-gina-carano-fought-back-as-her-movie-deal-with-daily-wire-goes-viral\/\" title=\"Media Shocked Gina Carano Fought Back As Her ... Deal With Daily Wire Goes Viral\">action star<\/a> capable of replacing Washington\u2019s kind of charisma.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>Should every flawed Denzel Washington <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/movies-and-films\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"744\">movie<\/a> be reborn as a limited series? The question sounds absurd until one considers the streaming services\u2019 appetite for new material. Get me <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/netflix\/\">Netflix<\/a> Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria on the phone right now, and I will sell her an eight-episode reimagining of <em>Glory<\/em>, the 1989 Civil War drama featuring Washington and a grievously miscast Matthew Broderick. Surely Apple TV could squeeze a season or two out of <em>Virtuosity<\/em>, Washington\u2019s 1995 sci-fi flick dismissed by <em>Rolling Stone <\/em>as \u201cstillborn.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One needn\u2019t play make-believe to grasp the risks of this kind of \u201ccontent\u201d strategy. <em>The Rainmaker<\/em> (1997), Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s middling adaptation of a John Grisham novel, recently found new life as a weekly drama on Peacock. I watched half of the first season before <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3790409\/john-grisham-the-rainmaker-tv-review\/\">destroying it in these pages<\/a>. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg\u2019s <em>Minority Report<\/em> (2002) was overpraised to begin with and certainly fared no better as a hapless 10-episode series on Fox in 2015. Far more uncommon is a big-screen-to-small-screen remake of the quality of <em>Fargo<\/em>, Noah Hawley\u2019s memorable if uneven take on the Coen brothers\u2019 1996 masterpiece.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4558650\/these-aint-your-daddys-donkeys-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018These ain\u2019t your daddy\u2019s donkeys\u2019: Joe Concha talks Democrats<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4558272\/obama-presidential-center-tickets-sell-out\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Obama Presidential Center looks to \u2018put presidency in context\u2019 as tickets sell out<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/4558198\/kennedy-obama-colbert-motel-room-interview\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Kennedy suggests Obama and Colbert \u2018get a motel room\u2019 after cozy interview<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>It is within this context that Netflix releases <em>Man on Fire<\/em>, a seven-episode reimagining of the novel by A.J. Quinnell. Although the Englishman\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/books\/\">book<\/a> first leapt into cinemas as a film by French director \u00c9lie Chouraqui in 1987, only Tony Scott\u2019s frenetic 2004 effort is now remembered. By almost every reasonable measure, Netflix\u2019s new series is superior to that movie, offering respectable action thrills in place of Scott\u2019s jittery stylizations. The problem lies in what the production lacks. Try as he might, showrunner Kyle Killen (<em>Lone Star<\/em>) could not find a contemporary actor on par with an in-his-prime Washington. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Yahya Abdul-Mateen ll in \u2018Man on Fire.\u2019 (Seye Isikalu\/Netflix)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Instead, the show stars the determined but dull Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (<em>Aquaman<\/em>) as John Creasy, a former Special Forces mercenary who has lapsed into alcoholism and despair. Having lost his team during an ill-fated operation, Creasy is floundering until a visit from colleague Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale) offers him new hope. Paul\u2019s plan for his friend is a generous one: join the Rayburn family in Rio and help the Brazilian government fight radicals. Sadly, the terrorists have learned how to make bombs. At the end of the pilot episode, Paul\u2019s high-rise in upscale Leblon comes crashing down, killing all within.<\/p>\n<p>As with Scott\u2019s version of the story, <em>Man on Fire<\/em> concerns our hero\u2019s attempt to protect a female charge. Here, the young woman in question is not the daughter of wealthy strangers but Poe Rayburn herself, spared by luck from the attack that took her parents\u2019 lives. Played by British ingenue Billie Boullet (<em>A Small Light<\/em>), Poe is 16, temperamental, and brash, a far cry from Dakota Fanning\u2019s artless sweetness in the 2004 film. She is also the sole remaining witness to the blast, wanted by all and trapped below the equator unless Creasy can spirit her away. <\/p>\n<p>The Brazilian Tourist Board will likely have mixed feelings, but Netflix\u2019s series uses its South American canvas to fine effect. Beautiful Leblon gives way to teeming mountainside favelas as Poe and Creasy hide out and buy time. Federal officials perch on the razor\u2019s edge of their semi-failed state, aware that any wobbling could mean disgrace or death. I have no idea how accurate any of this is. Presumably, the gangsters who threaten Poe in the third episode would, in real life, do more than laugh threateningly. As scripted drama, however, it works. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/brazil\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1224\">Brazil<\/a> is troubled, and no one with a badge deserves our trust. On the other hand, it\u2019s not exactly North Korea. When security chief Prado Soares (Thomas Aquino) offers Creasy his help, we are inclined to listen. <\/p>\n<p><em>Man on Fire\u2019s<\/em> early episodes are sprightly, following our protagonist as he rediscovers old authority and skill. At times, this business is brutal. The show delights in torture, and an <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >interrogation scene featuring sulfuric acid<\/a>, hydrogen peroxide, and a language barrier may well turn out to be the tensest viewing of the year. More often, however, the action is straightforwardly engaging: expertly filmed and choreographed, coherent, and vaguely ridiculous \u2014 in a word, perfection, assuming one enjoys the genre. Rewatching Scott\u2019s film last week, I was shocked by how badly the director\u2019s dizzying jump cuts have aged. Netflix\u2019s take, by contrast, feels almost restrained. It turns out that Quinnell\u2019s buddy plot with a twist is sufficiently entertaining without the editing hijinks. <\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4544937\/rooster-wont-crow\/\">REVIEW: STEVE CARELL\u2019S \u2018ROOSTER\u2019 VISION OF THE UNIVERSITY IS A LIE <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Those who dislike this kind of thing will find much to criticize, of course. Boullet, good enough if one merely needs a pouty face, struggles mightily in more workaday scenes \u2014 say, an evening at home with family. One can almost hear an offscreen Killen imploring her to give her \u201cbrother\u201d a noogie. The show\u2019s dialogue is aphoristic and inept (\u201cIf you can\u2019t trust the men below you, you\u2019d do well to reconsider the man in front of you\u201d), and its villains are far too often interchangeable voices on phones. An early episode sees Creasy flying and landing a plane with no training. How hard could it be? Then again, you didn\u2019t ask me whether the show is realistic. You asked me whether it\u2019s any good. <\/p>\n<p>With one major caveat, it is. Indeed, sillier fun may not be had on TV anytime soon. What is less promising, alas, is Abdul-Mateen\u2019s future as an action star. About as magnetic as a rubber hose, the 39-year-old would be hard-pressed to find Washington\u2019s shoes, never mind filling them. Such is the power of charisma onscreen. Washington\u2019s <em>Man on Fire<\/em> is a hyperactive affront to the senses, stuck forever in 2004. But I might still prefer it. <\/p>\n<p><em>Graham Hillard is the TV critic for the <\/em>Washington Examiner <em>magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Should flawed Denzel movies be remade as limited series? Streaming wants more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":956,"featured_media":2600257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LA.TV_.051326.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[79314,45818,79313,34310,5158],"class_list":["post-2600254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-action-thriller","tag-denzel-washington","tag-man-on-fire","tag-movie-review","tag-netflix"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LA.TV_.051326.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2600254"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2600262,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2600254\/revisions\/2600262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2600257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2600254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2600254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2600254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}