Man on Fire
Encyclopedia
Man on Fire is a 1981 thriller novel by the English novelist Philip Nicholson, writing as A. J. Quinnell
. The plot features his popular character Creasy, an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion
, in his first appearance.
, wealthy families often hire bodyguards to protect family members from the threat of kidnapping. When Rika Balletto urges her husband Ettore, a wealthy textile
s producer living in Milan
, to hire a bodyguard for their daughter Pinta, he is doubtful but agrees. After some searching, he finally settles for an American named Creasy.
Creasy, once purposeful and lethal, has become a burnt-out alcoholic. To keep him occupied, his companion Guido suggests that Creasy should get a job, and offers him to set him up as a bodyguard; thus he is being hired by the Ballettos, where he meets his charge, Pinta.
Creasy barely tolerates the precocious child and her pestering questions about him and his life. But slowly, she chips away at his seemingly impenetrable exterior, his defenses drop, and he opens up to her. They become friends and he replaces her parents in their absences, giving her advice, guidance and help with her competition running; he is even spurred to give up his drinking and return to his former physical prowess. But Creasy's life is shattered when Pinta is kidnapped by the Mafia
, despite his efforts to protect her.
Creasy is wounded during the kidnapping, and as he lies in a hospital bed Guido keeps him informed of the goings on. Soon enough, Guido returns with the news that the exchange went bad, and Pinta was found dead in a car, suffocated on her own vomit. She had also been raped by her captors.
Out of hospital, Creasy returns to Guido's pensione, and outlines his plans for revenge against the men who took away the girl who convinced him it was all right to live again; anyone who was involved, or profited from it, all the way to the top of the Mafia. Told by Guido he can stay with in-laws on the island of Gozo
in Malta
, Creasy accepts the offer, in order to train for his new mission.
While on Gozo, Creasy trains for several months, getting into shape and re-familiarizing himself with weaponry. But, to his surprise, he also discovers he has another reason to live after his suicidal mission against the Mafia; he finds himself accepted by and admiring the Gozitans, and falls in love with Nadia, the daughter of his host.
Soon enough, he is fit and leaves for Marseilles where he stocks up on supplies, weapons and ammunition; from there he travels back to Italy, and then the war between Creasy and the Mafia begins. From low-level enforcers to the capos
in Milan and Rome
, and all the way to the head Don in Sicily
, Creasy cuts through their organization, murdering anyone who had something even remotely to do with Pinta's kidnapping. After Creasy reveals to Rika that Ettore allowed her to be kidnapped for the insurance money, Ettore commits suicide. Finally, after killing the Don, a severely wounded Creasy is taken to hospital, but pronounced dead; a funeral is held and Creasy is thought to be gone.
But, unknown to all, Creasy was in fact alive, and makes it back to Gozo where he is reunited with Nadia.
's development of the book. In the first, after the eldest son of a rich Singapore
an was kidnapped by Triads for ransom money, the man refused to pay the ransom, leading to the death of his son; the refusal meant that the man's other children would not become targets. The second was the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III
, the son of Paul Getty
, in Rome
.
On a previous occasion, A. J. Quinnell
had helped save the life of an Italian man suffering a medical emergency on an airliner flight between Tokyo
and Hong Kong
. When he began doing research for the book, he contacted the man's family. The family responded by introducing anti-mafia investigators, lawyers, and mafia members to Quinnell. The contacts eagerly helped Creasy and asked to be named in the book.
On the island of Gozo
, Quinnell often frequented a Maltese bar called "Gleneagles." Several patrons at the bar, many of whom had poor English comprehension, agreed to be characters in the book.
. The Times of Malta obituary of A. J. Quinnell
stated that the Japanese liked Creasy's "samurai
-style dedication". Japanese people see Creasy as a "ronin
," a disgraced former samurai, who tries to atone for his deeds with charitable acts. Because of the Japanese popularity of the book, Malta received its first significant wave of Japanese tourism. As of 2005, due to the popularity of Quinnell's books, an early edition of Man on Fire had a price tag of £63.
and another more recently in 2004
. Both took liberties with the novel's story and plot.
In the 2004 film John Creasy (Denzel Washington
) is an alcoholic ex-United States Special Operations soldier traveling to Mexico to visit his friend Rayburn. He subsequently lands a job on the advice of Rayburn as a bodyguard for an affluent Mexican automaker named Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony
) guarding his Mexican-American daughter Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning
). Just like the Creasy in the novel, Creasy in the 2004 film is cold and distant from Pita but quickly warms up to her. She is eventually kidnapped by Mexican Police Officers belonging to a criminal organization called "La Hermandad" who are involved in much of the kidnapping conspiracy transpiring in Mexico. Believing Pita to be dead as the result of a botched ransom drop, Creasy exacts revenge on everyone involved with surgical precision. Eventually he discovers that Pita was in fact kept alive and agrees to exchange himself for her so she can be returned to her mother Lisa (Radha Mitchell
). Creasy goes through with the exchange, but is suffering from prior gunshot wounds and dies shortly after giving himself over to enemy hands, but not before ensuring Pita's safe return to her mother.
A. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell was the pen name of the English thriller novelist Philip Nicholson. He is best known for his novel Man on Fire, which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in 2004 featuring Denzel Washington.-Life and work:...
. The plot features his popular character Creasy, an American-born former member of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, in his first appearance.
Plot
In ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, wealthy families often hire bodyguards to protect family members from the threat of kidnapping. When Rika Balletto urges her husband Ettore, a wealthy textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
s producer living in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, to hire a bodyguard for their daughter Pinta, he is doubtful but agrees. After some searching, he finally settles for an American named Creasy.
Creasy, once purposeful and lethal, has become a burnt-out alcoholic. To keep him occupied, his companion Guido suggests that Creasy should get a job, and offers him to set him up as a bodyguard; thus he is being hired by the Ballettos, where he meets his charge, Pinta.
Creasy barely tolerates the precocious child and her pestering questions about him and his life. But slowly, she chips away at his seemingly impenetrable exterior, his defenses drop, and he opens up to her. They become friends and he replaces her parents in their absences, giving her advice, guidance and help with her competition running; he is even spurred to give up his drinking and return to his former physical prowess. But Creasy's life is shattered when Pinta is kidnapped by the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
, despite his efforts to protect her.
Creasy is wounded during the kidnapping, and as he lies in a hospital bed Guido keeps him informed of the goings on. Soon enough, Guido returns with the news that the exchange went bad, and Pinta was found dead in a car, suffocated on her own vomit. She had also been raped by her captors.
Out of hospital, Creasy returns to Guido's pensione, and outlines his plans for revenge against the men who took away the girl who convinced him it was all right to live again; anyone who was involved, or profited from it, all the way to the top of the Mafia. Told by Guido he can stay with in-laws on the island of Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Creasy accepts the offer, in order to train for his new mission.
While on Gozo, Creasy trains for several months, getting into shape and re-familiarizing himself with weaponry. But, to his surprise, he also discovers he has another reason to live after his suicidal mission against the Mafia; he finds himself accepted by and admiring the Gozitans, and falls in love with Nadia, the daughter of his host.
Soon enough, he is fit and leaves for Marseilles where he stocks up on supplies, weapons and ammunition; from there he travels back to Italy, and then the war between Creasy and the Mafia begins. From low-level enforcers to the capos
Caporegime
A caporegime or capodecina, usually shortened to just a capo, is a term used in the Mafia for a high ranking made member of a crime family who heads a "crew" of soldiers and has major social status and influence in the organization...
in Milan and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and all the way to the head Don in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, Creasy cuts through their organization, murdering anyone who had something even remotely to do with Pinta's kidnapping. After Creasy reveals to Rika that Ettore allowed her to be kidnapped for the insurance money, Ettore commits suicide. Finally, after killing the Don, a severely wounded Creasy is taken to hospital, but pronounced dead; a funeral is held and Creasy is thought to be gone.
But, unknown to all, Creasy was in fact alive, and makes it back to Gozo where he is reunited with Nadia.
Characters
- Creasy - The main character. A. J. QuinnellA. J. QuinnellA. J. Quinnell was the pen name of the English thriller novelist Philip Nicholson. He is best known for his novel Man on Fire, which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in 2004 featuring Denzel Washington.-Life and work:...
based Creasy on several people he knew from AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
and VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in the 1960s and 1970s. He imagined that Creasy would look like Robert MitchumRobert MitchumRobert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
. - Ettore Balletto - The husband of the Balletto family and the owner of Balletto Mills, one of Italy's largest producers of knitted silk fabric. He arranged a kidnapping of Pita in order to commit an insurance scam; he set up an insurance policy at Lloyd's of LondonLloyd's of LondonLloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
for two billion lireItalian liraThe lira was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. Between 1999 and 2002, the Italian lira was officially a “national subunit” of the euro...
. After Creasy confronts him and exposes him to Rika, Ettore commits suicide in his eighth floor office. - Rika Balletto - The wife of the Balletto family.
- Pinta Balletto - The child of the Balletto family
- Guido Arrellio - Creasy's friend and the owner of the Pensione Splendide in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
- Maria - The cook at the Balletto house
- Deluca (Signora Deluca) - Pinta's schoolteacher
- Giorgio Rabbia - One of Pinta's kidnappers, he works as the driver in the kidnapping.
- Giacomo Sandri - One of Pinta's kidnappers; he is Fossella's sister's son. He shoots Creasy during the kidnapping.
- Cremasco and Dorigo - Two of Pinta's kidnappers. During the kidnapping, Creasy kills them before being wounded out of commission.
- Dino Fossella - Fossella, one of the two main MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
-based mafia bosses of Cantarella's organisation, planned Pinta's kidnapping. Creasy kills him by placing a bomb in his rectum and detonating it. - Abrata - Abrata, one of the two main Milan-based mafia bosses of Cantarella's organisation,
- Joey Schembri - The younger brother of Julia, Guido's wife; Julia died in a drunk driving accident before the start of the story
- Paul Schembri - Julia, Nadia, and Joey's father, a farmer in Gozo
- Laura Schembri - Paul's wife and the mother of Julia, Nadia, and Joey
- Nadia Schembri - Julia's sister, Nadia becomes Creasy's girlfriend. Creasy impregnates Nadia, and Creasy returns to live with Nadia in Gozo
- Vico Mansutti - The lawyer for the Balletto family, Vico serves as a go-between in Pinta's kidnapping scheme, between Ettore and the mafia. Creasy wires a plastique to his car, so Vico dies when he starts his car
- Gina Mansutti - Vico's wife
- Mario Satta - A member of the CarabinieriCarabinieriThe Carabinieri is the national gendarmerie of Italy, policing both military and civilian populations, and is a branch of the armed forces.-Early history:...
, Satta tracks Creasy's movements - Massimo Bellu - Satta's assistant
- Elio - Elio is Guido's younger brother
- Felicia - Felicia is Elio's wife
- Pietro - An ex-thief who works as an employee at Guido's pensione.
- Cantarella - The boss of the entire mafia organization, who is based out of PalermoPalermoPalermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,... - Floriano Conti - A mafia boss in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and a member of Cantarella's organisation. Creasy uses an anti-tank missile to kill Conti. - "Wally" Wighman - An Australian who Creasy meets in Rome
- "Paddy" Collins - An Australian who Creasy meets in Rome
- Franco Masi - An owner of a farmhouse next to Villa Colacci, Cantarella's stronghold. Cantarella and the previous occupants served as Masi's benefactor; after Cantarella ordered the destruction of Masi's property, Masi gained a grudge against Cantarella.
- Cesare Gravelli - One of Cantarella's main advisors
- Maurizio Dicandia - One of Cantarella's main advisors
- Amelia Zanbon - Sandri's 15-year old companion
Development
Two real-life incidents shaped A. J. QuinnellA. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell was the pen name of the English thriller novelist Philip Nicholson. He is best known for his novel Man on Fire, which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in 2004 featuring Denzel Washington.-Life and work:...
's development of the book. In the first, after the eldest son of a rich Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an was kidnapped by Triads for ransom money, the man refused to pay the ransom, leading to the death of his son; the refusal meant that the man's other children would not become targets. The second was the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III
John Paul Getty III
Jean Paul Getty III , also known as Paul Getty, was the eldest of the four children of John Paul Getty, Jr. and Abigail , and the grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty...
, the son of Paul Getty
Paul Getty
Sir John Paul Getty KBE , born Eugene Paul Getty, was a wealthy American-born British philanthropist and book collector. He was the elder son of Jean Paul Getty, Sr...
, in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
On a previous occasion, A. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell was the pen name of the English thriller novelist Philip Nicholson. He is best known for his novel Man on Fire, which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in 2004 featuring Denzel Washington.-Life and work:...
had helped save the life of an Italian man suffering a medical emergency on an airliner flight between Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. When he began doing research for the book, he contacted the man's family. The family responded by introducing anti-mafia investigators, lawyers, and mafia members to Quinnell. The contacts eagerly helped Creasy and asked to be named in the book.
On the island of Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, Quinnell often frequented a Maltese bar called "Gleneagles." Several patrons at the bar, many of whom had poor English comprehension, agreed to be characters in the book.
Sequels
Quinnell wrote four more novels featuring Creasy.- The Perfect Kill (1992)
- The Blue Ring (1993)
- Black Horn (1994)
- Message From Hell (1996)
Reception
After the book's publication in 1981, Man on Fire became a best seller. By 2005 Man on Fire sold over eight million paperback copies and received many translations. Many of the book's most devoted fans come from JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The Times of Malta obituary of A. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell
A. J. Quinnell was the pen name of the English thriller novelist Philip Nicholson. He is best known for his novel Man on Fire, which has been adapted to film twice, most recently in 2004 featuring Denzel Washington.-Life and work:...
stated that the Japanese liked Creasy's "samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
-style dedication". Japanese people see Creasy as a "ronin
Ronin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
," a disgraced former samurai, who tries to atone for his deeds with charitable acts. Because of the Japanese popularity of the book, Malta received its first significant wave of Japanese tourism. As of 2005, due to the popularity of Quinnell's books, an early edition of Man on Fire had a price tag of £63.
Films
There were two film adaptations made from this novel, one in 1987Man on Fire (1987 film)
Man on Fire is a 1987 French-Italian film based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Another film based on the same novel was filmed in 2004.-Plot:...
and another more recently in 2004
Man on Fire (2004 film)
Man on Fire is a 2004 American thriller film, based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Another film based on the same novel was also filmed in 1987....
. Both took liberties with the novel's story and plot.
In the 2004 film John Creasy (Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
) is an alcoholic ex-United States Special Operations soldier traveling to Mexico to visit his friend Rayburn. He subsequently lands a job on the advice of Rayburn as a bodyguard for an affluent Mexican automaker named Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
) guarding his Mexican-American daughter Lupita "Pita" Ramos (Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning
Hannah Dakota Fanning , better known as Dakota Fanning, is an American actress. Fanning's breakthrough performance was in I Am Sam in 2001. As a child actress, she appeared in high-profile films such as Man on Fire, War of the Worlds, and Charlotte's Web...
). Just like the Creasy in the novel, Creasy in the 2004 film is cold and distant from Pita but quickly warms up to her. She is eventually kidnapped by Mexican Police Officers belonging to a criminal organization called "La Hermandad" who are involved in much of the kidnapping conspiracy transpiring in Mexico. Believing Pita to be dead as the result of a botched ransom drop, Creasy exacts revenge on everyone involved with surgical precision. Eventually he discovers that Pita was in fact kept alive and agrees to exchange himself for her so she can be returned to her mother Lisa (Radha Mitchell
Radha Mitchell
Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...
). Creasy goes through with the exchange, but is suffering from prior gunshot wounds and dies shortly after giving himself over to enemy hands, but not before ensuring Pita's safe return to her mother.