It's not unusual for franchises to switch formats; Jack Ryan fans are very familiar with this concept, as the action story began as a popular book series before sprawling between movies and a TV show. While the films were compact, high-octane adrenaline shots, the series stretched out the protagonist's development using a more serialized structure, making for a vastly different yet memorable experience. If the conclusion of Prime Video's Jack Ryan has left a certain void behind, then you need to check out Netflix's newest action series, which also adapts a popular novel into a TV format. Man on Fire is the perfect mix of ludicrous action sequences and a complicated action hero on a relentless pursuit of vengeance.
Netflix's 2026 adaptation is the fourth iteration of the story that began as a 1980 novel by AJ Quinnell, which was famously adapted into two different films of the same name, one in 1987 starring Scott Glenn and one in 2004 starring Denzel Washington. For the Netflix series, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II takes on the lead role of John Creasy, a man with a specialized set of skills stemming from a violent past. In the original book, Creasy is hired to protect the daughter of a rich family, only to go on a revenge spree after the mafia kidnaps and kills her. The newest adaptation pushes the story further as the series' version of Creasy reluctantly teams up with the girl, Poe (Billie Boullet), after the death of her father, who was also one of his closest friends.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II dives into Simon Williams’ complex mind, gets real about nerves, and reveals the one thing he’s finally stopped chasing.
The one thing that stays consistent throughout Man on Fire adaptations is the violence. Creasy may be more complicated than the typical action hero, especially since he deals with PTSD, but viewers can rely on him to dramatically dominate fistfights and jump out of a moving vehicle without breaking a sweat. The series' seven episodes are jam-packed with ludicrous action sequences and an exhilarating amount of blood, but beyond the choreography and flow, some of the scenes have a sharp, vicious edge, like the uncomfortably creative use of a car battery on a tied-up soldier.
Unlike Jack Ryan and your typical walking-away-from-an-explosion action hero, Creasy is much more of an anti-hero who operates on his own moral compass. Creasy may be hardened, but he is relentlessly haunted by his past, and we get glimpses into the utter psychological turmoil in his head. On one hand, there is a genuine darkness in him that Abdul-Mateen II captures masterfully, as the stern lines in his face and his unwavering gaze can easily slip into something far more malicious. His performance allows us to believe that Creasy is capable of awful things, especially when he sometimes goes way beyond the line of necessity when interrogating people or simply dispatching enemies; it becomes less of a necessary evil and more of a borderline compulsion.
On the other hand, the Netflix adaptation hones in on Creasy's father-daughter-like relationship with Poe more so than the previous films, showcasing another side of his mindset. The serialized structure and Poe's extended presence allow viewers to delve deeper into Creasy's psychology than ever before, where Poe oscillates between being the light that drags Creasy back from being consumed by total darkness and the uncomfortable mirror that reflects Creasy's own insatiable thirst for vengeance back at him. Due to forced proximity, he reluctantly contemplates how his actions impact Poe, and if crossing the line is worth it if it taints the only remnant of his closest friend. Abdul-Mateen II and Boullet find an easy rhythm on screen that conveys the wrought tension and unexpected bond that blooms between the characters, anchoring the show's unfettered violence in something unnervingly human.
Action fans need to flock to this Netflix series as it blends explosive action sequences with a gloomier, sharper edge. John Creasy has been a Man on Fire for over four decades, but this show proves why new adaptations can still offer unique value with an iteration of the character that feels more disturbingly human than ever before.
