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Movie Review - Ladder 49 (2004)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Jay Russell |
| Starring: |
Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett, and Robert Patrick |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for intense fire and rescue situations, and for language)
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| Length: |
115 minutes |
| Genre: |
Action/Drama |
| Tagline: |
A bond forged by fire is never broken. |
| Studio: |
Touchstone Pictures |
| Website: |
Ladder 49 |
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PLOT
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Jack Morrison (Phoenix) is a rookie fireman who matures under the leadership of his mentor Chief Mike Kennedy
(Travolta). Jack has a passion for his job, but starting a family causes him to re-examine his priorities.
Watching one tragedy after another can tend to cause a person to get pretty reflective about life and the future.
A BLAZING (I apologize) good time ensues.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Going into the movie I was curious how the plot would unfold. Would the story keep my interest? After all,
this is a movie where the "bad guys" are raging fires. Since it's pretty much a given that Joaquin Phoenix
isn't gonna be delivering roundhouse kicks to the fires or mowing down blazes with heavy artillery, the challenge
is to find a way to keep the audience interested in a movie about a group of guys fighting fires.
As far as I'm concerned, the mission was accomplished. Granted, I haven't called anybody to tell them that the
actual story is gonna cure cancer, but come on, what do you want from a fireman movie? Most of the story
is told in flashbacks as Joaquin Phoenix reflects on the beginning of his career, the beginning of his family, and
the laughs and tears that has surrounded it. Joaquin, you see, is in the midst of fighting the worst fire of
his career. And after a building caves in and he awaits rescue, he has plenty of time to think about stuff
that would make good background material for a movie. That's good for us; else it'd be a pretty short movie.
Unlike Phoenix, I wouldn't be so eager to think about work in a situation like that. If there were some
accident at work and the floor caved in, and I was waiting to be rescued, I doubt I'd be thinking about the
first website I designed or about my first day at work.
Ladder 49 isn't always easy to watch, so if you don't like movies that take you on an emotional roller
coaster ride, then this might not be for you. But if you like a dose of humor, tragedy, tension, and action,
then it's all here.
This definitely isn't a recruitment tool by the fire department to try to convince kids to be firemen. In fact,
parents can probably use this as a "scared straight" video to convince their children to choose a safer career
path. But it does a great job of touching on what it must be like to be a fireman. We see the guys joking,
pulling pranks on each other, and basically becoming a family. We see the rush of putting out a huge fire
and saving a life, but we also see the tragic side.
Let me put it this way, there were firemen at the screening that were actually weeping. When a movie can make a
fireman weep, then I think it's done its job. But hey, if you're one of those reviewers who thinks readers are
impressed by your ability to use a thesaurus, then feel free to take your liberal arts degree to the nearest fire
station and yell out how sick and tired you are of firefighters being glorified. Let me know how that goes. After
you can type again, that is.
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ODDS & ENDS
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- Stephen Lang was a lead candidate for Chief Mike Kennedy until John Travolta expressed interest.
- "Probie" is a term for a rookie firefighter. Feel free to use that in conversation today.
- John Travolta was in The Thin Red Line with Nick Nolte AND John C. Reilly who were in
Nightwatch with Josh Brolin who was in The Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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The language gets pretty intense at times, including a handful of G-d**n's. Mama would probably prefer this in
an edited-for-TV version. Pre-teens might lose interest after a while, and some of the tragic moments might be
a bit much for them to handle.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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No surprises here.
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THE GIST
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Ladder 49 contains a good mix of humor, drama, and suspenseful fire action. The acting is great, and the
surround sound is used to full effect. One warning: people might want to bring their tissues for this one, unless
they're a macho guy like me. I can't vouch that everything you see is completely accurate, but it appears to be a
pretty realistic look at the life of firemen, therefore it's not without tragedy. This ain't all roses and
teddy bears, kiddos. If you are a fireman or have the slightest bit of interest at taking a glimpse into the
life of a fireman, then this will really LIGHT YOUR FIRE! Bwahahahaha! I am so, so sorry.
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