irector Tony Scott is a sucker for fables of redemption. Here, CIA assassin-turned-alcoholic Denzell Washington (Creasy) gets a second chance as a bodyguard in Mexico charged with protecting Pita (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of a prominent businessman married to an American. He reads the Bible. She’s cute and headstrong. Suddenly, she’s kidnapped. Until then, the movie works adroitly with character — Washington and Fanning are a playful “couple.” The last hour — Creasy forages for Pita and his lost honor — is an orgy of vindictive brutality that aches for authentic morality but revels instead in waves of processed violence. Character is abandoned in favor of automatic wepons and heavy-handed doses of sentimentaity. A pity. Nice turn by Christopher Walken as Creasy’s one-time handler.
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About the Author: Marcia Yarrow
A military brat, Marcia Yarrow was born in Hamburg, Germany but grew up in Germany, Spain, and Provo, Utah. She's been writing for the magazine since its creation in 2004.