This movie is the Towering Inferno meets Reality Television. Oliver Sloan (Parker Stevenson) has just reopened Sloan’s Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas after renovations but an arsonist wants to interrupt his celebrations. A fire has broken out on the 24th floor while 13 staff and guests are stuck on floors 30 and above. The fire alarms and phone lines have been cut and the only link between the fire department and the guests is a mobile phone belonging to Sloan.
One of the guests still in the building is a television reporter C. Whitmore Evans (William McNamara) who is equipped with a video camera and who begins to record the entire saga, which is beamed live to a very captive audience. Also trying to escape with their lives are a couple, Harry and Mary, who just won $10,000 and upgraded to a luxury suite, Sloan and his daughter Tiffany, an engineer Jim (Meat Loaf) trying to REPAIR a ride on the 33rd Floor, a maid Marisa, a boxer Clay LaRoe Jr. and two blondes (his fling Rachel and her sister Claire), a little girl Heather left alone while her parents gambled elsewhere and Anthony and Susan Bellio .
A lot of the scenes from the film come from the reporter trying to reach safety and so as a result the footage is jumpy and in darkness while smoke billows in from the floors below. I got quite fed up with all the coughing as well. The reporter gets footage of many intimate conversations revealing secrets that they probably wouldn’t want shown on nation TV. One of the guests, Mary, has a premonition that the arsonist is amongst them and enjoying his handiwork. What better way to see his crime than to be an eyewitness.
One by one the numbers dwindle as the fire rises up the floors and takes casualties along the way. Was the premonition correct and is the arsonist still in the building? Many of the trapped guests do have motives (particularly Sloan and Anthony Bellio). All will be revealed at the end of the film after one last selfless act by Oliver Sloan ensures some of the guests do make it to safety.
The cast members are not household names but it doesn’t take a lot of talent to cough lots and look scared. (Parker Stevenson hasn’t really done much since The Hardy Boys and marrying and divorcing Kirstie Alley after all). Meat Loaf should probably have stuck to singing.
This movie was made for television back in 2001 and so probably wasn’t made with a big screen in mind (or a big budget for that matter). However, I have to say that the film had me intrigued (just a little) as I tried to work out who the responsible party was. I must admit that I was right all along. It wasn’t really that hard or maybe I had a premonition.
Just a note, there are two films called Trapped recently released on DVD so if this film appeals be sure to rent/buy the Warner Brothers release. The other one has Courtney Love in it. Enough said!!
Overall, this film is certainly watchable and at no stage did I find myself staring at the clock to see how much of the 86 minutes were left to go. Please don’t expect Academy Award performances though.

THE EXTRAS

Scene selection is available as well as the filmographies of the main actors (a list of all their TV qand film credits). Don’t buy this DVD for the extras that’s for sure.
There are no sub titles or other languages available either.

CONCLUSION

This telemovie is the Towering Inferno meets Reality Television. Oliver Sloan (Parker Stevenson) has just reopened Sloan’s Hollywood Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas after renovations but an arsonist wants to interrupt his celebrations. A fire has broken out on the 24th floor while 13 staff and guests are stuck on floors 30 and above. Is the arsonist amongst them watching his handiwork ? Will any of the guests make it to safety ?
This is a telemovie so don’t expect quality acting, famous Hollywood actors or a big budget.