Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as John Creasy in 'Man on Fire' on Netflix.

Photo by Juan Rosas/Netflix

For viewers craving a gripping, adrenaline-fueled binge, Netflix’s new political thriller Man on Fire from writer and showrunner Kyle Killen, delivers. The seven-episode series, based on A.J. Quinnell’s novels, follows John Creasy, a once highly regarded, exceptionally skilled Special Forces mercenary.

Creasy, portrayed with precision by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, abandoned his former life after a mission in Mexico City went catastrophically wrong, leaving his entire team dead.

Haunted by severe PTSD, Creasy is barely functioning when he takes a low-level job in a warehouse. His guilt over his past and heavy drinking almost cost him his life. After a near-death experience, his loyal friend Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale) pulls him back into his old life with a high-stakes security detail for Brazil’s President Carmo (Billy Blanco Jr.).

Reluctantly, Creasy follows Rayburn to Brazil, where he stays with his family, including his teenage daughter, Poe (Billie Boullet). Creasy and Poe are forced to work together after a bombing obliterates the Rio de Janeiro high-rise the Rayburns lived in, and they’re both spared from the blast.

The bombing kills hundreds of innocent civilians, and Creasy and Poe’s lives are in danger. After that failed mission in Mexico City, Creasy felt like he had nothing to live for, but now, he must protect Poe and find out who ordered the bombing.

As Abdul-Mateen told Netflix’s Tudum, “He needed something to care about other than himself. Once he found something outside of him to care about, then that gave him motivation and drive, and a reason to live.”

Man on Fire echoes the pulse-pounding intensity of The Night Agent. For viewers awaiting its fourth season, which is based on Matthew Quirk’s novel and stars Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland, this series makes an ideal substitute. Both shows deliver fast-paced action, high-stakes intrigue, and intense fight scenes.

Like Peter Sutherland, who has been tasked with protecting Rose Larkin (Luciane Buchanan), Creasy is also motivated by his need to save Poe. Both men are lone operatives forged by danger, but responsibility for someone else gives their lives a sense of purpose beyond the mission.

Poe is in imminent danger after she admits she got a clear glimpse of the face of a motorcyclist fleeing the bombing. She is now a target, and Creasy has to get her out of Brazil and back to the United States before it’s too late.

Creasy knows he can’t trust many people, especially his CIA contact, Henry Tappan (Scoot McNairy), whose behavior is suspicious. As allies turn uncertain, he’s forced to confront his past and fight against his debilitating PTSD.

“The cool thing about this show is we’re not watching someone that’s at the top of his game,” said Abdul-Mateen to Tudum. “We’re watching someone who is trying to rebuild himself and who has doubts about whether he can still do the thing that he’s always done. He has to really dig deep to see what he’s made of.”

While a second season hasn’t been confirmed, the cliffhanger finale leaves the door open when Creasy is handed a shot at settling the score for Mexico City. It’s too soon to know for certain, since the show just premiered on April 30, whether viewers will get to watch him get justice for his crew.

Abdul-Mateen told Tudum he’s eager to see what's next for Creasy. “I would like to see some flashes of the old Creasy before the incident. I would like to see him more in his element in a charming type of way, because he’s definitely got that to him, but he also has this dangerous quality that I think is important for Creasy to keep.”

Netflix fans have plenty to look forward to with both shows. Whether it’s John Creasy in Man on Fire or Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent, both stories are poised at a breaking point where justice isn’t guaranteed, but reckoning feels inevitable.