Posted: 10/03/2004

Ladder 49

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

Now I could be going crazy, but it seems to me like the events of 9/11 have really given the popularity of firefighters a gigantic boost. Its hard to remember that five years ago no one really gave a rats-ass about firemen. Not to say that people didn’t appreciate the work they did, but I rarely ever saw anyone wearing fire department t-shirts or witnessing countless articles and tv shows. I guess it was only a matter of time before Hollywood took notice and made another firemen movie. After all, we see cheap imitations of past ideas every week. You have to give these guys credit for making the FIRST cheap imitation (Backdraft is the only firefighter film to recent memory).

So lets cut to the chase. Is Ladder 49 good? Yes… but only GOOD, and good just doesn’t cut it these days.

The film opens with a stunner of a blaze in a Baltimore sky-rise. Courageous firefighter Jack Morrison (full-name for Zack Morris) finds himself trapped smack dab in the middle of the burning inferno. Sustaining injuries from a fall, he tries his best to stay alive as long as possible. Meanwhile, his ex-captain and old mentor (Travolta) assumes command of all units outside and orders his pals of Ladder 49 in to rescue him. As the team desperately tries to reach Jack, the film backtracks into Jack’s life from the first day on the job leading up to the present crisis. Now that we’ve covered the major plot points, let’s move on to the film’s strong features.

First off, perhaps the best aspect of this movie may be the soundtrack. Composer William Ross did a superb job of capturing the appropriate emotion at just the right time. The opening track before we hear even one line of dialogue gave me goose-bumps. Secondly, I really liked how the way the film was structured. At first, you could care less about Jack’s life or whether he makes it out alive in the end, but this is because we don’t know anything about him yet. But by the third act of the film, you’ll be rooting for him as much as the person sitting next to you, for you are taken through many years with him and Travolta fighting fires, starting families, and sadly, losing colleagues. You watch him with a smile as he grows out of his rookie days, marries the woman he loves and has two wonderful children. And thirdly, I was particularly fond of the group of actors in this film. Travolta isn’t given much to do except play the “mentor” role from the background, but when he’s on- he’s on. He’s in top form during intense moments including a heated scene involving a deceased fighter from his unit, and another scene in which he realizes there’s a chance that Jack may not come out of the blaze alive. Phoenix also does his thing well, although most of his role requires more physical activity than actual emotion. But all the same, he’s proven himself as a leading man (as he did in The Village earlier this year). Now, onto the flaws.

The first problem that Ladder 49 undoubtedly ignores is its lack of supporting cast. Where are these guys?!? Robert Patrick had maybe three lines in the entire flick, let alone Jay Hernandez being on the poster and only being seen ONCE in the film (however his one scene was the funniest of all). I just didn’t feel the camaraderie with these dudes. As a matter of fact, when they’re shown together they’re usually fighting with each other instead of the fires. This obstacle ties into the ending of the movie too, as you really don’t get the sense that these guys care about getting Jack out (excluding Travolta).

Listen, if you’re going to make a cheap imitation movie then you need to do it right. If you guys decide to write a sequel some day, tune in to FX on Wednesday nights and watch Rescue Me. From the very first episode I could feel the bond between those men, and ever since then I knew they would take a bullet for each other if need be. Another big flaw is… that’s right: the screenplay. As I’m sure many of you can tell from the trailer being crammed down your throat, there is absolutely nothing original about this movie. NOTHING. Sure, it has some impressive fire sequences, but so does Backdraft (the ladder is better I might add, no pun intended). And talk about bad character development, what the hell was up with Jack’s wife? In an early scene while expressing to Jack how she feels about him firefighting now that she’s pregnant: “This isn’t just about you and me anymore.” Thirty minutes later (a few years in the movie) when Jack wants to quit she blurts “So you still think this is about me and the kids?” Huh??? Make up your mind, lady! You want him to quit and then when he tries to make you happy you contradict your own argument? People were really scratching their heads at that one. I also wasn’t pleased with the way the film ended. Not that I disliked the events that occurred, but I just hated the way it was handled. I wanted to see Jack’s friends run in after him as a team in a blaze of glory, but nope, it just doesn’t go down that way. And the most delicate scenes of the ending just blew by at such a rapid pace, while other less-important events seemed to take forever. But I will say this though: I would pay someone 100 big ones if they willingly saw this film and came out of it without getting misty. That’s right… one-hundred pennies.

To wrap things up, I can’t remember the last time I wanted so badly for a movie to be better. It had a dynamic cast at its disposal and the effects were there. If only it had a more original story and sharper dialogue, then this film would be unstoppable. It was so close to perfect that I could practically taste the sweetness, but sadly for Ladder 49… we must settle for sub-par.

Clint Fletcher is a reviewer and filmmaker who knows what it’s like to be burned at the picture show.

Got a problem? E-mail us at filmmonthly@gmail.com