Denzel Washington’s fine crime excitement film finds an audience on Hulu

If you would ask John David Washington his favorite movies, he would name two starring his father. One is “glory,” who gave his innovative role to Denzel Washington and remains one of the best civil war movies ever. The other, however, was one of Denzel’s five collaborations with the late, the great Tony Scott. The pair collaborated together on “Crimson Tide,” “Déjà Vu,” “Take of Pelham 123,” and “Unstoppable,” but “Man on Fire” in 2004 which represented the best of the Washington/Scott Collabs.

Advertisement

This Denzel operator may have a remarkably low rotten tomatoes scoreBut don’t let that fool you. In terms of star action efforts, it is hardly better in his filmography than “Man on Fire.” Long before Oscar’s winner took on the role of Robert McCall in the “Equalizer” films, he was showcasing a similar badasery in the Scott project, who saw him playing former cia-turned-a-dodaruard John W. Creasy. After spoiling his career due to a drinking problem, creasy is largely down and out. He agrees to take up a job in Mexico guarding Pita (Dakota Fanning), the daughter of a Mexican businessman (Marc Anthony), and while the pair conflicts at first, Creasy will soon develop a preference for his new accusation. When she’s eventually kidnapped, you can imagine that rage eats Jaded Denzel’s hero. What consequences are a long and bloody attempt for revenge, as the creasy of those responsible.

Advertisement

That, according to John David Washington, adds to one of Denzel’s best films, and Hulu’s subscribers seem to agree, as the film is currently finding an audience over on the Streamer two decades after it was first released.

“Man on Fire” is one of the best Denzel Washington films, but is also one of the best Tony Scott movies. The director had a little reputation for a style-over-transformation method, but with “Man on Fire,” he seemed to be refining the perfect melting of both, using his fast-paced fast images as a way to illustrate John W. Creasy’s inconsistent and intense internal state.

Advertisement

To Hulu viewers, no doubt this is a case of “Newstalgia,” where an older film is presented to a modern audience as if it were new. It is likely that many Hulu subscribers never saw “Man on Fire” when theaters first struck in 2004, which, when combined with those who want to revisit Scott’s action masterpiece, have allowed the film to earn some draw on the Streamer charts.

The film was added to Hulu on May 1, 2025 and has finally appeared for the first time in the chart after nearly three weeks. Back FloxpatrolA site that tracks spectators across the various streaming services, “Man on Fire” hit number nine in the United States on May 21, 2025. This is not the most shocking first appearance, but it’s nice to see a “man on fire” making even a small effect 20 years after it first reached.

Advertisement

At the time of writing, “Man on Fire” is only in the ninth place on Hulu charts in the United States. But that could change as the week plays out. In order to move up the sites, however, a Denzel operator will face competition from Kirsten Dunst’s bleak sci-fi film “Melancholia,” who has also just found an audience on Hulu. As far as the rest of the top 10 goes, “man on fire” will have to overcome Chloe Fineman Critical Praise Comedy “Summer of 69” currently in seventh place. Closer to the top of the sites are two “Kingsman” movies and at the number one position he sits “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” with viewers clearly revisiting the film that created a new episode for Tom Cruise Before seeing “Mission: Impossible – the last account” in theaters.

Advertisement

That might be a lot to overcome, but if anyone can do it, it is Denzel – especially considering that 38% Rotten tomatoes A score does not represent the way “man on fire” has come to be seen in the years since his first appearance. The movie made originally $ 130.9 million On a $ 60,000 budget, but failed to impress judges, who believed that Scott’s bright instructional style made one long paean excess and no more. But the film has been re -evaluated in the years since then, and rightly thinking about it is not only one of Scott’s best but as an example of Denzel’s peak action. As such, it will be interesting to see how the film is traveling in the streaming age over the next week or two.