Directed by Jay Russell

Firstly, I must say that I have not seen ?Backdraft?, probably the only other movie to tackle the topic of fire fighting and so I can not compare the two. I will leave that up to you. I will say that I did enjoy this film and it even managed to keep me awake even though I watched it so late at night. That said, I felt the middle bit of the film was a bit ho-hum and I found myself watching the clock waiting in anticipation for the film?s ending.

?Ladder 49? revolves around Jack Morrison (Phoenix) who is a fire fighter for the Baltimore City Fire Department. The start of the film sees his brigade called to a warehouse fire with people trapped on the 12th Floor. During this rescue mission there is another explosion and Jack falls through a collapsing floor and lays severely injured amongst the rubble with fresh air becoming scarcer by the minute. From this point on we witness Jack?s life since he first walked into the fire house as a rookie through a series of flashbacks. At the same time his fellow fire fighters are trying to reach him through all the smoke and debris.

The film takes us back to when Jack met his future wife Linda (Barrett) in a supermarket, and the joy of finding out she is pregnant. It also addresses the grief associated with the death of his best mate Dennis (Burke) and the horrific injuries incurred by another colleague. The only question that you will be asking yourself while watching these memories is, will he survive the predicament he now finds himself in? Of course, I won?t spoil it completely by answering that question, I am not that much of a party pooper!!

Joaquin Phoenix is of course the star of this film. I was surprised how little screen time John Travolta had. He plays Chief Mike Kennedy, Jack?s boss and his mentor. He is one of the most talented actors going around and he was virtually wasted in this role. I would imagine that the subject matter appealed to him and that is why he took on the role. He, like most of America, particularly after September 11, has a very high opinion of the fire fighter and their bravery. After all ?they enter a building that every body else is leaving?, to quote one line in the movie.

The other major player in this film was Australian born Jacinda Barrett who plays Jack?s worried wife Linda. She was fairly convincing, showing the dramas associated with having a husband with such a dangerous occupation and always having to wonder if he will return home from doing it. Robert Patrick (of ?The Terminator 2? fame) played an important but small role as well. He was the central figure in what I believe was the most entertaining component of the film and that was the pranks the fire fighters pulled on each other. This film certainly highlighted the camaraderie between the crew members. They basically become family members due to the amount of time they spend together.

Overall, this film is entertaining and one the entire family can enjoy, that is, if buildings burning and collapsing in front of their eyes doesn?t scare the kids too much. It is basically a documentary of the life and times of an average fire fighter so if that concept appeals then the film is sure to as well. This film may even provide you with a little bit of education as I?m sure many people don?t really know what goes on at a fire station.

I must own up to shedding a few tears at the end of the film but that won?t give too much away. I cry in just about every movie whether the ending is happy or sad! There is no nudity or any swearing that I can recall. This film just wants everybody to know what a brave occupation fire fighting is. There are no gimmicks, it is as simple as that? I am now waiting for a film to do just that for my very brave occupation, teaching!! Ha ha!

I have given the film a rating of 3 out of 5, but only because I can?t give half marks, it is better than that!

THE EXTRAS

Other than Scene Selection which is standard with DVDs there are 5 other Special Features available to peruse on this DVD. They are:
1) The Making of Ladder 49 (21 minutes)
This doco has three parts:
(a) On Location - They discuss why Baltimore was chosen to complete the film in and how good John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix were.
(b) Fire Academy - Training the Actors - They again talk about how good Joaquin Phoenix was.
(c) The Warehouse Fire ? They talk about how this scene was filmed and the movie?s soundtrack. Surprising they don?t mention how good Joaquin Phoenix was!! An interesting documentary overall, it doesn?t give too much of the plot away so it doesn?t matter if you watch it before or after the film.
2) Everyday Heroes - (13.5 minutes) - A short documentary on fireman from Baltimore. They talk about their relationships with their colleagues and the pranks they pull on each other. They discuss their family lives and it also features a Medals Day Ceremony where one fire fighter receives a bravery award (where Mr. Travolta makes a guest appearance). Worth a look but you see most of these things occurring in the film anyway.
3) Deleted Scenes- (14 minutes)- There are 5 deleted scenes titled ?Lunch room conversations? , ?Jack and Linda?s first date?, ?Captain Tony arrives?, ?Ray?s sub plot? and ?9-11?. I thought the second deleted scene was cute but it?s probably a girl thing. I liked the 9-11 scene but it was probably a bit too dicey a topic to include so soon after the event. I did like the line from one of the fire fighters wives who said ?the only thanks you get from this job is a good funeral?. Very appropriate I thought!
4) Audio Commentary by Jay Russell and editor Bud Smith. Didn?t bother with this one.
5) Video Clip ?Shine Your Light? by Robbie Robertson (Who!!). This is a fairly standard video clip with lots of scenes from the movie scattered through it. The song is quite awful really.

CONCLUSION

?Ladder 49? is as close to a documentary as a film can get. Its focus is America?s brave fire fighters, in particular Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), a member of the Baltimore City Fire Department. The start of the film sees Jack get trapped under rubble in a burning warehouse. While he is lying there wondering whether or not he will be rescued, we get an insight into his life over the past ten or so years from his first day on the job through the other milestones of his life. The film also stars Jacinda Barrett as his wife Linda and John Travolta as his boss Chief Mike Kennedy. If you liked Backdraft you will probably like this one too. Just have the Kleenex handy if you are a big sook like me!