Ladder 49

Don't believe the negative hype being thrown around at this movie at all. It is quite simply one of the most extraordinary tributes out there without all the Hollywood-ization that you find in a lot of movies like this. This is as close to real life as you can pretty much get. While I wouldn't say this was a perfect movie nor did it revolutionize anything, I definitely liked it a lot! I thought the flashback sequence was pretty cool and that it panned out well in the end. There were some sad parts and just like in actuality they usually have to go right back to work the very next day. While John Travolta can put on some terrible performances as of late, he carried on tremendously throughout, especially during his speeches. Joaquin Phoenix is always somewhat good even if he's in a lackluster role which fortunately wasn't the case here. It was also great to see Robert Patrick in another civil service role (as it seems to be that he usually gets stuck with) as he is a vastly underrated actor. Overall a great film, I hope it gets a couple Oscar nods next year!

Final Count:

Movies: Worth the ticket price in every way!

DVD Purchase: Possibly, but it'll mean different things to different people.

Rental: Abso-positvely-lutely!

Ladder 49 introduces us to the life of Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), a firefighter for the Baltimore City fire department. Jack is assigned to Fire Station 33 as a pipe-man for Ladder 49. (Note: The pipe-man holds the water hose nozzle and sprays water onto the fire.) As a new probationary firefighter, Jack is assigned all the little jobs at the firehouse. Station 33 Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), and the other veteran firefighters love to play jokes on the new rookies, including Jack. Captain Kennedy takes Jack under his wing to make him the best firefighter in the city. Time passes, and Jack is now a seasoned veteran on the rescue team. Ladder 49 has been called on a four-alarm fire to a burning 20-story building. Chief Mike Kennedy, his former Captain, is in command of the fire. Jack and the rescue team brave the fire to rescue anyone trapped inside. They save several people, and Jack continues to search for others. Jack finds a man and lowers him to safety, just before the floor collapses around him. Jack falls through the building into the middle of the inferno, and is rendered unconscious. When he awakens, Jack is able to radio to his men that he is alive. Now Jack is the one who needs to be rescued. Chief Kennedy coordinates the effort to save Jack. Awaiting rescue, Jack begins to relive his life with his wife and kids, and his career through flashbacks. If you like firefighter movies, you will like this one, because some of the rescue scenes are spectacular. The fire scenes capture the real dangers and unpredictability of a fire. One line in the movie states it all, 'Everyone is running out of a burning building and only the firefighters are running into the fire.' The movie shows how brave our firefighters are and why we should honor them. (Touchstone Pictures, Run time 1:55, Rated PG-13)(8/10)

First, let me explain the movie title.

The firehouse featured in the movie has 2 vehicles. One of them is the more conventional fire truck you see around, the one with the water hoses. That truck is codenamed Engine 33 in this movie. Ladder 49 is its companion truck, the one with the mega-ladder. This truck comprises of the brave men in the fire department's rescue team, those who risk their lives going into burning buildings without water (unlike Engine 33's), for the sole mission of saving other people's lives.

Which raises the question everyone asks of emergency responders (police, fire dept, etc) - what makes them do what they do? In this case, also raised in the movie, what makes them rush into a burning building when everyone else is running out?

We follow the life of Joaquin Phoenix's character, Jack Morrison, whom we see from rookie firefighter (waterboy) to hero, from singlehood to fatherhood. This film, through his character, humanizes emergency responders, their lives, their camaraderie, their courage. It also explores relationships within their families, which is key, as family members struggle to understand the risks their spouses/fathers undertake everyday in their job.

Don't expect another Backdraft, which was more of an "arson-whodunnit", with spectacular beastly fires engulfing the screen. This film dwells more on characterization and drama, with well placed action set pieces between slow moments which will set you thinking, and at the end of the film, appreciating the courage of these brave men and the threats they face daily in their job.

A terrible blaze traps a firefighter (Joaquin Phoenix) in a Baltimore building. As his co-workers (led by chief John Travolta) try to figure out a way to help him escape, Phoenix thinks about the last 10 years of his life. Through those years of fighting fires he experienced triumph (meeting and marrying the love of his life, Jacinda Barrett) and also living through several tragedies (deaths and injuries to fellow firemen). "Ladder 49" is comparable to a legendary athlete, it is not always great but it is great when it has to be. The movie has many shortcomings. There are dead spots galore and watching firefighters getting drunk in wild bars and playing silly pranks on one another do not always put them in a favorable light. However, the film's final act is excellent as we learn what Phoenix's fate is. In many ways an homage to those brave individuals in New York who sacrificed all during the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and also a deceptively smart character study. Travolta is excellent and Phoenix is nearly as good. Members of the supporting cast all have their moments and by the end "Ladder 49" climbed high enough for me. 4 stars out of 5.

"Ladder 49" is by no means a bad movie and as a matter of fact, it's a professionally made production, with some good actors in it, but it's just that everything in the movie is very formulaic and all the typical clichés you could expect in a movie about firefighters are present here. The movie has no real surprises in it and because of that none of the emotions come over as real. Also compared to "Backdraft", this movie is totally obsolete. It adds nothing to the firefighter movie genre (..as if that even is a genre). "Ladder 49" and "Backdraft" are two similar movies in several ways but "Backdraft" is the better one simply because it has better emotions, character building and sequences featuring fire. It however is of course not fair to compare this two movie just simply because they both are about firefighters. I understand that "Ladder 49" and "Backdraft" are two different movie made with different intentions. However "Ladder 49" is self to blame for this constant comparisons. It copies elements and scene's from "Backdraft" and obviously tries to top the movie in every way possible. Mission failed though...

The storytelling isn't done in the best way. The non-linear storytelling wasn't the best choice for this movie. If the story was told in a more 'normal' way, the emotions and the ending would perhaps had worked better for me. I wasn't exactly grabbed by the story and its character and both were lacking. Not really the actors fault, blame it on the cliché filled script instead. It's obvious that the movie makers wanted to portray the firefighters as true heroes. If the script hadn't been filled with so many clichés, they might had succeeded in this.

The fire sequences were nicely made but to be honest they weren't anything thrilling or exciting. The true essence of the movie is on the characters and the dramatic moments but since the movie isn't exactly successful in this, the movie as a whole also quite isn't.

The musical score by William Ross was better than anticipated and Joaquin Phoenix is a wonderful actor. This truly were the two best elements of the movie.

Nicely made but as a movie not original enough and because of that also quite pointless. Just watch the Ron Howard movie "Backdraft" instead.

6/10

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