| Man on Fire | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Elie Chouraqui |
| Produced by | Arnon Milchan |
| Written by | Elie Chouraqui Sergio Donati |
| Narrated by | Scott Glenn |
| Starring | Scott Glenn Joe Pesci Jade Malle |
| Music by | John Scott |
| Cinematography | Gerry Fisher |
| Editing by | Noëlle Boisson |
| Distributed by | Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) |
| Release date(s) | 4 September 1987 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | France/Italy |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $519,596 (USA) |
Man on Fire (Italian: Un uomo sotto tiro) is a 1987 French-Italian film based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Another film based on the same novel was filmed in 2004.
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In Italy, wealthy families often hire bodyguards to protect family members from the threat of kidnapping. A wealthy family that needs a bodyguard hires a burned-out ex-CIA agent to protect their daughter, Samantha "Sam" Balletto. The ex-CIA agent, John Creasy, has been broken down from all of the death and horror of combat he witnessed in the Vietnam War and in Beirut, Lebanon. Although Creasy is not interested in being a bodyguard, especially to a twelve year old youngster, he accepts the assignment because he has no better job offers.
Creasy barely tolerates the precocious child and her pestering questions about him and his life. But slowly, she chips away at his seemingly impenetrable exterior, his defenses drop, and he opens up to her. They become friends and he replaces her parents in their absences, giving her advice, guidance and help with track. Creasy's life is shattered when Sam is kidnapped. Despite being seriously wounded during the kidnapping, Creasy vows her safe return, and vows vengeance on the kidnappers.
The film was originally to have Tony Scott direct, but price became an issue and Elie Chouraqui replaced Scott, who would later go on to direct the 2004 version with Denzel Washington as Creasy.
Filming took place in Italy, notably Lombardy and Lazio. The screenplay underwent several revisions.[1] It was released 9 October 1987.
At one point, when A. J. Quinnell read the film script, he inquired about a line that was different from the book's text. The writers of the script responded, "You mean, there's a book...?"[1]
According to the Times of Malta obituary of A. J. Quinnell, he and the cinema-going public were not satisfied with the film.[1]