Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-24 00:02:26

I must digress....

Being that I am a firefighter myself (CFD), I do have to point out a few sticking points. For starters, the prop guy cut out the mask part of the breathing apparatus, on MSA Equipment or any SCBA system, you ALWAYS have a mask over your nose and mouth. Not only that, his initial technique in fighting fire more than likely would upset the thermal balance, and was unnececary, given that the flames werent rolling overhead. Also, you never, NEVER NEVER F-ING EVER do anything alone, two in two out EVERY TIME!However...Other than little stuff like that, overall a good picture of what being a firefighter really is like. Sometimes its mundane, sometimes its intense, but its always neccecary. Every emotion shown and portrayed is very true, some of it has happend to me (thank god I havent lost anybody with me while on duty). Overall, its a good peek into our world, the ups and downs, the pranks, good times, hardships, excitement and adrenaline, everything that we do and go through on a day to day basis, well most of it, I wish they would have shown the washing of gear that takes umpteen million hours after a working fire. Otherwise, good movie, and a decent portrayal of firefighters.

mystery_gal276 2012-05-23 15:57:57

Ladder 49 was an unexpected masterpiece

When i went to the cinema, this was not the first film i had in mind towatch. However, i am SO glad i have seen it.Joaquin Phoenix shows his brilliance as Jack Morrison, a firefighterwho, when trapped in a building, reflects on the last 10 years of hislife. John Travolta is also good as a supporting character, somethinghe should try to do more of, as he does it as well as his starringroles.This film is great, mainly because it doesn't rely on computer effectsand explosions, and focuses on the excellent character development. Ifthere's one film you see this year , it should be this one.Perfect performances, realistic portrayals of firefighters and bothtragic and heartwarming moments, this film is worth every penny of yourcinema entrance fee. I loved it, you should too.

george.schmidt 2012-05-22 20:19:13

Fighting fires with camaraderie in tact

LADDER 49 (2004) ** Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett,Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Billy Burke, Balthazar Getty, TimGuinee, Jay Hernandez. Under whelming look at Baltimore firefightersfocusing on Phoenix during a blaze where he is trapped and in flashbacklooks at how he came to be in the company of his fellow brothers inarms. Although it is a technically well-done portrayal of how themachinations of fighting infernos with aplomb and the camaraderie isfelt for the most part, the mediocre script by Lewis Collick doesn'temphasize enough as to the pertinent reasons why one runs into a firewhen others flee.(Dir: Jay Russell)

JackCerf 2012-05-22 10:51:32

Good On Its Own Terms

During the 1850s, Currier & Ives published a series of prints calledThe American Fireman, showing handsome, gallant firemen rushing toblazes, hosing down the flames, and rescuing the helpless. In 1902 thefirst American movie to use dramatic editing, Edwin S. Porter's Life ofan American Fireman, showed handsome, gallant firemen rushing toblazes, hosing down the flames, and rescuing the helpless. Ladder 49 --well, you see the pattern here. It's an effective modern expression ofa long tradition, and critics who complain that it was not harsh enoughand didn't show enough flaws -- in short, that it was not F/X's RescueMe -- miss the point. It didn't want to be, and people like me who aresuckers for men who run into burning buildings wanted exactly the kindof picture it presents.It works because Joaquin Phoenix and Jacinda Barrett make it work.They're both way too good looking for the roles -- particularlyBarrett, who never shows any discernible wear and tear from 10 years ofraising a couple of kids in a row house on a fireman's salary. Butthat's Hollywood, and Currier & Ives firemen were pretty handsome too.The principals give believable performances as people who are decentand sincere but not very articulate or well schooled, and who arecontent with the modest satisfactions of work, family, church andfriends. Speech is not their language. When they're courting, and whenthey're coming to terms with the dangers and fears that go with theJob, they sound believably sincere because their thoughts and feelingsare just a little bit bigger than they are able to express in words.To me, the key to the characters is a bit of byplay on their firstdate. Linda has just told Jack that she works in a store where thecustomers make their own jewelry and that she's made some of thejewelry she's wearing. Jack nervously asks her, "Are you some kind ofartist?" Linda replies, "No, it's just a job. I help people." He hasactually asked her whether she think's she's somebody creative,somebody special, and therefore somebody better than a guy like him,and she reassures him that she's just a working person like he is andwouldn't consider herself above being married to a handsome fireman.The other firefighters are Jack's only family and become Lindas's.Though they're both young, neither has visible parents or siblings atthe wedding or later at the kids' birthday parties. Instead, ChiefKennnedy fills the role of Uncle/Grandpa. Jack doesn't go to bed withLinda or tell her that he loves her until after she's passed musterwith the other firemen at the bar, and the other wives welcome her intothe family at the wedding reception.The rituals of the Roman Catholic Church -- marriage, baptism, midnightmass on Christmas Eve, and of course the funeral -- are the milestonesof Jack's life with Linda. Even the mildly blasphemous mock confessionsused to haze rookie firemen show an acceptance of the sacred as aneveryday part of life.Bottom line is an idealized, sentimental portrait of an Irish Catholicworking guy who loves his kids, loves his wife, and above all loves theJob because he gets to help people. I know what it leaves out, butthat's another movie. I wouldn't have Ladder 49 any other way.

Christian Toto 2012-05-22 11:01:37

Ladder 49 nearly burns itself by adoring its subject matter too much.

Robin Clifford 2012-05-21 21:33:35

...a much more thoughtful story that expresses the deserved good feelings we have for the best of the best.

Nick Rogers 2012-05-19 03:46:25

Filled with earnest heroics that are a far cry from the cynical deconstruction on FX's Rescue Me. But it works its own level, as its own project.

Boba_Fett1138 2012-05-18 07:50:32

All the clichés you could expect from a movie about firefighters are present here.

"Ladder 49" is by no means a bad movie and as a matter of fact, it's aprofessionally made production, with some good actors in it, but it'sjust that everything in the movie is very formulaic and all the typicalclichés you could expect in a movie about firefighters are presenthere. The movie has no real surprises in it and because of that none ofthe emotions come over as real. Also compared to "Backdraft", thismovie is totally obsolete. It adds nothing to the firefighter moviegenre (..as if that even is a genre). "Ladder 49" and "Backdraft" aretwo similar movies in several ways but "Backdraft" is the better onesimply because it has better emotions, character building and sequencesfeaturing fire. It however is of course not fair to compare this twomovie just simply because they both are about firefighters. Iunderstand that "Ladder 49" and "Backdraft" are two different moviemade with different intentions. However "Ladder 49" is self to blamefor this constant comparisons. It copies elements and scene's from"Backdraft" and obviously tries to top the movie in every way possible.Mission failed though...The storytelling isn't done in the best way. The non-linearstorytelling wasn't the best choice for this movie. If the story wastold in a more 'normal' way, the emotions and the ending would perhapshad worked better for me. I wasn't exactly grabbed by the story and itscharacter and both were lacking. Not really the actors fault, blame iton the cliché filled script instead. It's obvious that the movie makerswanted to portray the firefighters as true heroes. If the script hadn'tbeen filled with so many clichés, they might had succeeded in this.The fire sequences were nicely made but to be honest they weren'tanything thrilling or exciting. The true essence of the movie is on thecharacters and the dramatic moments but since the movie isn't exactlysuccessful in this, the movie as a whole also quite isn't.The musical score by William Ross was better than anticipated andJoaquin Phoenix is a wonderful actor. This truly were the two bestelements of the movie.Nicely made but as a movie not original enough and because of that alsoquite pointless. Just watch the Ron Howard movie "Backdraft" instead.6/10

Cara_121 2012-05-18 17:48:12

wow

The first time I saw this movie I cried. I think this movie deserves aten out of ten because every time I saw it I hoped for a differentending. You feel as if you are apart of the movie and you are close toeveryone in the movie. Joaquin Phoenix is a wonderful actor and I haveput him on my favorite list. I loved the movie a lot. I hope to seeJoaquin in future movies. You need to see this movie it is sad, funny,and heartfelt. I bought the DVD and the features are good as well. Onefeature I liked a lot was when they showed how the actors were trainedto be firemen. I also liked the deleted scenes. I enjoyed the movieimmensely and I thank Jay Russell for helping me remember andappreciate what these brave men and women do everyday. On April 13 2004I was caught in a fire and if it wasn't for those men I wouldn't evenbe writing this so thank you for helping me remember.Peace.

cosmochicka456 2012-05-17 22:51:05

maybe a spoiler, just some questions

hey i love this movie and i have just a few questions about the movieand some extras. 1.)why didn't jacks wife walk with them at jacksfuneral. when the fire truck was leaving shouldn't she and her kidswalk with her???? 2.)why didn't anyone comfort Linda,she was ballingher eyes out at jacks funeral and they were all smiling someone shouldhave comfort her. 3.) in the extras of the DVD in the "shine yourlight" music video how come Robbie Robertson the singer, was always byher?why wasn't jack bye her cause its talking about jacks spirit soshould he be by her as the spirit??? 4.)i love this movie i watch it asmuch as i can and i cry every time!!!!!!!!i love it

Tony Medley 2012-05-16 20:57:03

the firefighting is realistic and the players are emotional, but the movie ultimately fails because it violates the first rule of dramatic writing; there's no clear premise.

lukebrelis 2012-05-16 05:14:11

very good

i saw this film at one of the screenings and thought it was great. Itwas well made and I liked the acting. Supposedly Travolta said this wasone of the best films he has worked on. Although it was dramatizedunlike backdraft, the actors had to work with the Baltimore FireDepartment and go to fire safety school for two week before shootinggiving an authentic unhollywoodized look to the film. I highlyrecommend it to anyone and everyone.

The_Real_Review 2012-05-13 17:03:16

A Depressing, Disapointingly Dull Movie

If you enjoy being depressed please watch this, otherwise move on. Thismovie fails to do any basic character development outside of the maincharacter and his wife. The few other interesting characters theyeither kill off or have them get severely injured. Add in choppyediting and a bad boring script that is unable to develop anything, youget a movie that seemed like it was designed to only "Honor" Firemen.Please, no more forced emotionally fake "Honor" speeches. They are socontrived and made me keep looking at the clock to see when this wasover. Then of course you watch two hours of flash backs revolvingaround the main character to only have him get killed? What a completeand utter waste of time! The music was very badly selected and timed. Iusually love theme oriented music but here it seemed so forced andfake, just like Travolta's acting. Phoenix did a decent job (why I gaveit an extra star) but there was just so much bad with this it doesn'tmatter. You have tons of useless clips jumbled together, mostlyFirehouse pranks, that just did not seem funny.I should have known to check IMDb first, the director Jay Russell hasdone pure drivel crap and that should have been a warning sign. Oh wellthis just proves how important a director is to a film over the topbilled stars. Forget Ladder 49 and watch another movie.When will Hollywood learn that being Politically Correct Sucks? Firemendo not always die!!!

Stephanie Zacharek 2012-05-13 06:06:51

Ladder 49 might have been an oversized Hollywood dazzler. Phoenix keeps it firmly and modestly on a human scale.

Rob 2012-05-07 07:50:14

Who snuck a camera into my fire station?

I asked myself that several times. The hard work, the hard play between calls, the family life. Ladder 49 seemed less like a feature film and more like a documantery. Call me biased (and many will, I'm sure) but I gave the film the grades I did because they got it right. The story centers on one firefighter and his two families-the one at home, and the one in the fire station. It is told through flashbacks against the framework of Jack's (J. Phoenix) fellow firefighters work to rescue him at a high-rise fire. The scenes are well scripted, the characters and their actions quite believeable (especially the practical jokes and the way firefighters work and live together), and the attention to detail is almost perfect. Yes, there will be times firefighters will say, "I can't believe they did THAT!", but it doesn't distract from the movie like previous films. The actors went through training at the Baltimore Fire Academy, and their hard work shows. Sounding a roof, throwing ladders, tagging hydrants, all the actions we perform on a daily basis looked smooth, like they'd been doing this for years. Everyone did their best to get it right. The portrayals of the family and the stresses and fears they must deal with are just about perfect mirrors of real life (after the private screening, one firefighter was heard joking, "Nope, the wife's not going to see this one.") Being this is Hollywood, some parts of the visuals couldn't be completly real. While you see a good example in one scene of the stratification of smoke layers in a room, you still can see much better than in the real thing. The nosepieces are left out of the SCBA masks so you can see the actors faces, but at least they are wearing them when needed in this picture. On the whole, however, the minor omissions and changes needed to make a movie don't detract from the show. Firefighters and fire buffs will barely notice them, and everyone else won't. Overall, I have to give Ladder 49 the high grade. The cast and crew did an outstanding job.

2012-05-06 15:59:47

Why do they go into a burning building?

Most of this movie takes place in the past as a series of flashbacks through the life of Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix). He is trapped in a burning building and intersperced amongst his attempts to get clear we glimpse parts of his life starting from the first day he shows up at Engine 33's firehouse.It is sad that it took something as drastic as 9/11 to make most of us appreciate the hard work that firefighters put in each and every day (there is a deleted scene about 9/11 that alludes to this). However, with that in mind this is an excellent tribute to firefighters. By no means is this an action movie that you watch just for the "riveting plot." It is a character study with many emotional moments--both tearful and joyful.The content shouldn't really be objectionable as the worst consists of some mild foul language and some fire-fighting scenes that might be intense to younger viewers.There are five deleted scenes (including the 9/11 one mentioned above) but several are a bit rough. Other special features include a good music video that splices together scenes from the movie, Robbie Robertson singing, and Linda Morrison (Jacinda Barrett) in new scenes past the end of the movie. Also featured are an audio commentary and two featurettes.Don't expect an action movie or a mystery--but definately check this out for a really good drama. You'll see both the woes and the joys of firefighting. Do yourself a favour and check this movie out.

2012-05-05 04:48:59

It's time to get on the ladder!

This is what you call an honest-to-goodness description of what goes on in the lives of brave firefighters. The movie contains no Soap Opera material or love triangle nonsense. There are no invincible, James Bond type firemen running around putting out infernos all by themselves. Rather, the plot centers around the daily struggles of people in the firefighting business; both in their professional as well as their personal lives.Joaquin Phoenix proves that he is up to the task of playing a very likable character. Unlike most of the characters portrayed by John Travolta, the captain of the firehouse is only slightly nuts (as opposed to completely nuts!). The acting is splendid all-around & I did not notice any weaknesses in that department.While there are some spectacular scenes in LADDER 49, I liked the fact that the filmmakers did not try to get TOO extreme and caught up in making far-fetched heroic scenes. I would think that every episode depicted in the film would have a counterpart mirrored in real-life. For once, there is a movie about courage that is not "Hollywoodized" beyond belief.Another nice touch is that the story takes place in Baltimore. As most movies of this type take place in either New York, Chicago or LA, it was good to see a different American city portrayed on film. Even better, in the Special Features the DVD contains interviews and commentary with real Baltimore firemen & their families. Nicely done.I readily admit that I am not a fireman myself. However, I can't help but think that this movie speaks for a great many firemen across the country. I would be mortified to find out that firemen could not relate to at least some aspects of this story. I can't think of a higher compliment to pay this movie than that.So, here is the bottom line. If you enjoy movies about firemen and / or heroism, pick up this DVD. If, on the other hand you dislike movies about firefighters, then pick up this movie.

pboylecharley 2012-05-04 15:43:51

Again Mr. Travolta delivers a great story

John Travolta delivers a superb performance as the soft-hearted chiefof a fire station. Like many of Mr. Travolta's movies, there are comictouches mixed in with the heartwrenching sadness of the loss of membersof the fire department. Truly great performance by Joaquin Phoenix andall the cast. Tight bonding of Ladder 49 crew reminds me of thecomradeship and closed circles of the police fraternity. Powerful firescenes, especially the last one. Great movie. Sad but enlightening and a real honor for our firemen who serve daily.Also highlights the terrible toll placed on a fireman's family. A mustsee movie and a true tribute to firemen.

2012-05-02 07:04:52

A Touching Film That's Hard Not To Like

I feel exactly the same as every single person who has seen this movie, it has given me A LOT of respect for those firefighters who risk their lives every day to save ours, they really are true heroes. A really great film that very few, if any, wouldn't like. Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta give a great performance in this film. You see the highs and lows of the life of these men and women. Like to say I appreciate all those who are firefighters, you guys really are the unsung heroes.

elitt 2012-05-01 19:52:31

Ladder 49 Accomplishes What Backdraft didn't

Ron Howard tried to make a nice wet kiss to firemen back in 1991. Heaccomplished to make an entertaining film with some exhilarating firesequences. Unfortunately, the film had a terrible script and adistracting plot about an arsonist and a crooked politician. The filmshows some brave firemen alright, but it ultimately failed toaccomplish what it set out to do. "Ladder 49" does accomplish what"Backdraft" didn't do be creating a viable realistic hero andshowcasing firemen as heroes without the distraction of a sillyvillain.The movie starts out with a Baltimore factory up in flames. The men ofLadder 49 are on the scene led by firemen Jack Morrison (JouquinPhoenix). Jack gets trapped after he saves a victim's life and as helies in rubble helpless, he reflects on his life from his first day onthe job all the way up to current time. His story is very engrossing.He's a regular guy who loves his job. He experiences tragedy andwonderful experiences as a firemen and balances his busy home-life.Ladder 49 is filled with all the typical clichés and scenes you'dexpect. The rookie hi jinx, the camaraderie, and the practical jokes.It's a rule that films of this type include these scenes. Backdraft hadthem as well. Both films also had an Irish flavor to them, as we aresupposed to believe that most of these guys are Irish. Well Phoenixlooks anything but Irish and I didn't believe it in "Backdraft" either,although William Baldwin did look the part. The movie has other flaws,but I'm looking past them as they aren't really that big of a deal.What works in "Ladder 49" is the human aspect. The story isstraightforward and tugs at your heart a bit. These are all good guysand you want to root for them. Phoenix is terrific and John Travolta inlimited but important role does his job. He's well cast for a change.Travolta's problem in the past has been miscasting and poor material.This is a step in the right direction.I beat up on "Backdraft" a bit, but that movie wasn't bad. I liked itwhen it came out because it was entertaining, albeit stupid. Ladder 49makes more sense and works better as a big hug to a very dangerousprofession. (***1/2)