Man on Fire: Season 1 Review

Key Points:

• Netflix's seven-episode series Man on Fire, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, offers a competently executed action drama highlighted by intense hand-to-hand combat and thrilling set-pieces, including an airplane chase directed by Steven Caple Jr.
• The show is a fresh adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s novel, distinct from the 2004 film starring Denzel Washington, with notable changes to story, characters, and setting, including aging up the protectee to a teenager named Poe Rayburn.
• The plot centers on Creasy, a troubled bodyguard with PTSD and a dark past, protecting Poe after her family is killed in a terrorist bombing in Brazil, involving political corruption linked to the U.S.
• A key new element is the introduction of a Rio favela community that aids Creasy and Poe, adding depth and sympathy through characters who survive by crime yet display honor, contrasting with corrupt officials.
• Abdul-Mateen's portrayal balances Creasy's brutal, mission-driven nature with a vulnerable humanity, keeping viewers engaged despite a somewhat predictable plot and familiar themes of justice and moral ambiguity.