Many viewers will be familiar with Man on Fire thanks to the 2004 movie<\/a> of the same name directed by Tony Scott<\/a> and starring Denzel Washington<\/a>. That was actually the second adaptation of A. J. Quinnell\u2019s 1980 novel, the first being a 1987 movie starring Scott Glenn<\/a> and Joe Pesci. While Netflix\u2019s Man on Fire bears similarities to the \u201904 movie, showrunner-writer Kyle Killen<\/a> has made enough alterations to the story, characters, and setting to distinguish it from past versions. <\/p>\n At the heart of any incarnation of Man on Fire is the relationship between bodyguard John Creasy \u2013 who struggles with PTSD, suicidal thoughts, and alcoholism as a result of his time in the military and CIA black ops \u2013 and the young person he serves to protect. In Washington\u2019s film, his Creasy bonded with Dakota Fanning\u2019s precocious, wide-eyed Pita Ramos; for the show, Creasy\u2019s protectee has been aged up to teenager Poe Rayburn (Billie Boullet, who thankfully avoids making her teenage character too obnoxious even when the circumstances might allow for it). <\/p>\n Man on Fire Images After Poe\u2019s family is killed in a terrorist bombing in Brazil, Abdul-Mateen\u2019s Creasy puts his badass skills to use protecting Poe from the nefarious forces out to kill her \u2013 a plot involving political corruption in Brazil that also links back to the United States. As a story, it\u2019s too easy to quickly figure out which characters can and cannot be trusted, so waiting for Creasy to catch up can be trying. But Man on Fire keeps you invested in its characters even when the plot and dialogue are often by-the-numbers.<\/p>\n The most welcome new addition to the saga is a community of favela residents in Rio who come to Creasy and Poe\u2019s aid and provide them with, even for a brief respite, a safe haven. Introduced to them through a driver named Valeria (played with grit and warmth by Alice Braga), Creasy\u2019s newfound allies include young men who, although they commit crimes just to survive, prove more honorable and sympathetic than the government officials ostensibly looking for justice in the wake of the terrorist bombing.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n