I don’t want to
believe that a good plot is hard to come by; I also don’t want to believe that
Bruce Willis was in this movie, but all of this happened in Fire with Fire.
The idea of gang violence and the fact that one man can just wake up one day,
turn from a lifesaver to a killer (and an arsonist), and single-handedly end an
entire mob takeover operation is, to me, too ludicrous a plot to justify making
a movie. It’s the kind of story that feels like it was scribbled on a napkin
during a late-night diner visit, then hastily greenlit by someone who clearly
wasn’t paying attention.
Yet, this movie
was made—and with a lot of expense, too. The stunts and production work show
that money was being spent, but the delivery of the actors isn’t the problem;
it’s what they’re delivering that’s the issue. The movie’s cinematography
screams amateur, with awkward angles and lighting that make you wonder if the
crew was learning on the job. The pacing is all over the place, and the
dialogue feels like it was written by someone who’s never had a real
conversation.
Fire with Fire is
a 2012 direct-to-DVD action drama in the B-movie genre. It features Die
Hard veteran Bruce Willis, Josh Duhamel (Fergie’s husband, who played
Captain/Major/Lieutenant Colonel William Lennox in the Transformers trilogy),
and Rosario Dawson (Rent (2005) and Eagle Eye (2008)). Willis’s
role in this movie is so minor and uneventful that it’s baffling why he’s
plastered on the DVD cover. It’s clearly a marketing strategy and a
money-making endeavor: Willis gets paid well for minimal screen time, while
promoters use his face to lure fans into buying the DVD. I’m sure his part
could have been shot in just three days, and even that feels generous.
The plot follows
a firefighter named Jeremy (Josh Duhamel) who witnesses a murder committed by a
notorious mob leader, Hagan. By sheer luck, Jeremy escapes and goes to the
cops. He’s placed under witness protection to keep Hagan from reaching him. But
the relentless Hagan finds him anyway, nearly kills Jeremy’s newfound love
interest (Rosario Dawson), and starts hunting down his friends. Jeremy decides
to take matters into his own hands and take Hagan down, which sounds like it
could be thrilling but ends up being a slog of poorly choreographed fight
scenes and cringe-worthy one-liners.
With Fire with Fire, what we have is a movie produced by 50 Cent (which is another reason to stay clear). It’s predictable to the last breath, with an ending that feels completely out of place. Throughout the movie, the protagonist is either getting beaten when he should be shooting or wasting time moaning over a hurt love interest when he should be shooting. The film tries to balance action, drama, and romance but fails miserably at all three. Save your cash—this one’s not even worth a rental.
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