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Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Ladder 49
By Craig Younkin Published October 2, 2004
US Release: October 1, 2004
Directed by: Jay Russell
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix , John Travolta , Jacinda Barrett , Morris Chestnut
PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $74,540,762
Directed by: Jay Russell
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix , John Travolta , Jacinda Barrett , Morris Chestnut
PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $74,540,762
C
If you want entertainment, this film has more than enough action for an evening. If you want something meaningful, try watching Backdraft or Rescue Me.
Ladder 49 focuses on Jack (Joaquin Phoenix), a rookie fireman assigned to engine 33. Upon his arrival, he is treated to the firehouse practical jokes. Chief Kenny (John Travolta) walks around in his boxer shorts and one of the men (Robert Patrick) pretends to be a very strict priest who Jack must confess all his sins too. Later on they also throw a goose into his locker for good measure. Among my criticisms of this film, the lack of hilarious firehouse hi-jinx isn't one of them.
Only the rest of the film is very conventional and shortsighted. Jack learns his way around the firehouse, learns to deal with the loss of some of his brothers, and has to assure his wife (Jacinda Barrett) that he can handle the job and still come home at the end of the day. These issues are handled with very little depth by the script, but Joaquin Phoenix proves again that he is a very good actor. He rises above the material to actually give Jack some vulnerability and heart.
The rest of the characters don't seem to have that luxury. The only thing we ever learn about them is that they?re good practical jokers who like to go to the local bar after work. They seem to harness very little pain outside of the physicality of their jobs. I find it hard to believe that a job that comes with this much loss can leave guys this well adjusted. And I thought that it crossed into the offensive when all of them get up and sing the tune, "Fire," at a character's wedding. Jack is far from being written any better but at least Phoenix gives us a little taste of how the job affects these guys psychologically. John Travolta, Morris Chestnut, and Robert Patrick on the other hand, are just wasted.
The life of firemen has been chronicled very little in the entertainment business, which is odd considering how dangerous a job it is. Backdraft was the last movie that did so and that came out over 10 years ago. But then again that film had so many subplots that you felt like you had enough training to start fighting fires yourself by the time it ended. Then this year, FX produced the phenomenal Rescue Me with Denis Leary, which is the most powerful show on television right now. The show not only deals with the blazing danger these guys face in the fire, but it is also about how it has affected them outside of their jobs. It?s gritty, hard-hitting, and it is about 100 times better than Ladder 49.
Ladder 49 just wants to entertain us, and if that's all your looking for, it will satisfy. One thing this movie does get right is the danger of the job. It shows how terrifying it is to be trapped in a room filled with smoke and how important it is to be on your guard at all times. This is a story mainly about good vs. evil, fireman vs. fire, and one scene after another of them running into a burning building to put out the flames. The only time it takes a break from this is to sentimentalize these characters for their heroism. It's not so much bad method as just simplistic.
Going into a burning building to save lives is one hell of a job. What I wanted to know from this film is a little more about the men with enough courage to do it. If you want entertainment, this film has more than enough action for an evening. If you want something meaningful, try watching Backdraft or Rescue Me.
Only the rest of the film is very conventional and shortsighted. Jack learns his way around the firehouse, learns to deal with the loss of some of his brothers, and has to assure his wife (Jacinda Barrett) that he can handle the job and still come home at the end of the day. These issues are handled with very little depth by the script, but Joaquin Phoenix proves again that he is a very good actor. He rises above the material to actually give Jack some vulnerability and heart.
The rest of the characters don't seem to have that luxury. The only thing we ever learn about them is that they?re good practical jokers who like to go to the local bar after work. They seem to harness very little pain outside of the physicality of their jobs. I find it hard to believe that a job that comes with this much loss can leave guys this well adjusted. And I thought that it crossed into the offensive when all of them get up and sing the tune, "Fire," at a character's wedding. Jack is far from being written any better but at least Phoenix gives us a little taste of how the job affects these guys psychologically. John Travolta, Morris Chestnut, and Robert Patrick on the other hand, are just wasted.
The life of firemen has been chronicled very little in the entertainment business, which is odd considering how dangerous a job it is. Backdraft was the last movie that did so and that came out over 10 years ago. But then again that film had so many subplots that you felt like you had enough training to start fighting fires yourself by the time it ended. Then this year, FX produced the phenomenal Rescue Me with Denis Leary, which is the most powerful show on television right now. The show not only deals with the blazing danger these guys face in the fire, but it is also about how it has affected them outside of their jobs. It?s gritty, hard-hitting, and it is about 100 times better than Ladder 49.
Ladder 49 just wants to entertain us, and if that's all your looking for, it will satisfy. One thing this movie does get right is the danger of the job. It shows how terrifying it is to be trapped in a room filled with smoke and how important it is to be on your guard at all times. This is a story mainly about good vs. evil, fireman vs. fire, and one scene after another of them running into a burning building to put out the flames. The only time it takes a break from this is to sentimentalize these characters for their heroism. It's not so much bad method as just simplistic.
Going into a burning building to save lives is one hell of a job. What I wanted to know from this film is a little more about the men with enough courage to do it. If you want entertainment, this film has more than enough action for an evening. If you want something meaningful, try watching Backdraft or Rescue Me.
Craig's Grade: C
Craig's Overall Grading: 340 graded movies
| A | 10.9% | |
| B | 41.8% | |
| C | 31.8% | |
| D | 15.3% | |
| F | 0.3% |
