Australian-born Radha Mitchell portrays Pita’s mother, Lisa Ramos, the American “trophy wife” of a young Mexican industrialist. Lisa, like Creasy, goes through a complex and unexpected character arc, which Mitchell enjoyed bringing to life. “Initially, Lisa is at a point of confusion, but as the story progresses she clarifies what she wants out of life and what’s really important to her,” says Mitchell. “She gets broken down by what happens, and she is rebuilt in a new way”
Lisa Ramos’ husband, Samuel, is a member of the Mexican aristocracy who fears losing his lifestyle and family due to a burdensome debt – leading him to take extreme measures that have dire consequences. “Samuel feels a lot a lot of tension because he doesn’t have the money he once had, and his wife loves to spend money,” says music superstar and actor Marc Anthony, who takes on the role. “He adores his daughter but cannot spend as much time with her as he’d like to, due to frequent business travels.”
Anthony, who has appeared in seven feature films, says MAN ON FIRE is his most challenging film role to date. “I even found myself trembling at times working with Tony Scott and Denzel Washington – they’re such formidable talents,” he says.
Famed Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini portrays Manzano, whom the actor calls “an honest cop surrounded by corruption.” Manzano uses Creasy – even as Creasy uses him – to fight Mexico City’s wave of kidnappings. Scott and Helgeland created the character to have someone to support Creasy’s relentless pursuit of the kidnappers – to get Creasy information he wouldn’t otherwise have access to, and to have him do what Manzano cannot do himself: find and stop the vicious kidnapping cells.
Manzano and another character, newspaper editor Mariana, played by Rachel Ticotin, represent a positive vision of Mexico and provide a stark contrast to the kidnappers’ dark world of corruption and crime. “MAN ON FIRE depicts the two halves of Mexico,” says producer Lucas Foster. “The half that’s rampant with corruption and poverty, and the other half made up of the people who are trying to clean up crime and, especially kidnappings.”
Rachel Ticotin’s Mariana, looking to expose the truth behind the kidnappings, helps Creasy make his way through the kidnappers’ sophisticated organization. “She’s manipulating him into doing what no one else can,” says Ticotin. “So it’s a weird relationship – they’re using each other.”
“Creasy doesn’t know who organized the kidnapping of Pita,” says Denzel Washington. “So he has to rely on Mariana and Manzano. They can’t get the top guy, but Creasy can because of his special training and the fact that he’s not encumbered by the Mexican bureaucracy.”
Given Tony Scott’s extensive research into Mexico and the social and political conditions that led to its ranking as third in the world in kidnappings, it’s not surprising that the country itself, as well as its capital, Mexico City, play important roles in MAN ON FIRE. Scott captures Mexico City’s pollution, traffic and the cacophony that bombard its citizens. “I wanted to make the city a major character,” says Scott. “It has a rich cultural history and is full of visual contrasts and architectural richness. It is sensual and beautiful and, at the same time, it’s dark and dangerous.”
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