So last September when I was trying to figure out the next move in my professional life, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Tony Scott over at his production company that he ran with his brother Ridley. I was extremely nervous...I mean holy shit, Tony Scott, director of films such as Top Gun, Days of Thunder, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, and my personal favorite Man on Fire. I got there early of course, took a seat in the lobby, surrounded by all those classic movie posters, iPad in hand as I did some last minute prepping for the meeting. An assistant came down to get me and I was escorted up to the second floor conference room. Tony was already waiting with a co-worker of his. We shook hands and I took a seat adjacent to him at the table. We talked for quite a while, him quizing me on what writers and directors I was excited about, whether I could handle big name screen writers like Zaillian that he was accustomed to working with, asked about what films I'd been working on in my current gig - luckily I had a few cool ones to share with him. We spent time discussing the Jack Ryan project that he'd always been interested in over the years as well as the Top Gun sequel that he was excited to be developing. He told me about one of his favorite projects called Potsdamer Platz that he was hoping to make real soon. Though I only got to spend about an hour with Tony, I was a kid in a candy store for that moment, something that I'll never forget and take with me forever.
A few months after that, a friend and I were having lunch at Juniors Deli and we started talking about some of our favorite films. Man on Fire immediately came up and I knew I had to revisit it quickly. So I found a copy and after putting Sylvie down for a nap one Saturday afternoon, I watched the film. Four words for you, "incredible piece of cinema." And especially now as a father, the film has such a profound effect on me then when I saw it for the first time back in 2004. This broken broken man, Creasy "Bear," takes the job of bodyguard to a young girl named Pita - she gives him strength, hope and the will to go on living. Their father daughter relationship is incredibly moving - she loving him unconditionally, he making the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to save hers. It's amazing. What else is there to say. We'll be lucky if another film comes close in this lifetime, let alone another Tony Scott.
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