Ladder 49 (Blu-ray) (2004)

"Celebrates heroes without turning them into saints.  Chris Kaltenbach, Baltimore Sun
"What an exciting powerful film - a terrific movie!  Larry King
"...awesome flames and pyrotechnic scenes of crisis...  Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly

Editor's Note Joaquin Phoenix is great in this saga of Baltimore firefighter Jack Morrison, whose life starts flashing before his eyes when he becomes trapped in a blazing high rise. Flashbacks chronicle his memories of being a rookie at his Baltimore fire company. He remembers fighting his first fire, bonding with fellow firefighters, falling in love with a beautiful local girl (Jacinda Barrett), getting married, and having children. He also looks back on forming a close relationship with the fire chief (John Travolta) and learning to face the danger and heroics of life on the job. This film manages to wring plenty of well-earned tears from its subject matter--as well as spine-tingling thrills--which are the result of solid performances, characterization, and good naturalistic dialogue from screenwriter Lewis Colick. Barrett is great as Jack's worried wife; she and Phoenix exhibit strong, earthy chemistry in their scenes together. Travolta makes a fine fire captain who is graceful, sure of himself, and always ready to give up the spotlight to the younger actors. Other firemen include Morris Chestnut, Balthazar Getty, and Robert Patrick. The addition of a soundtrack of contemporary Irish and Irish-American folk and rock keeps the melancholia just a whisper away. The heroics of 9/11 are subtly honored here, but never directly mentioned, which is to the film's credit.

	Balthazar Getty
	Billy Burke
	Jacinda Barrett
	Jay Hernandez
	Joaquin Phoenix
	John Travolta
	Morris Chestnut
	Robert Patrick
	Armyan Bernstein - Executive Producer
	Bud S. Smith - Editor
	Casey Silver - Producer
	James L. Carter - Cinematographer
	Jay Russell - Director
	Lewis Colick - Writer
	M. Scott Smith - Editor
	William Ross - Original Music By

Entertainment Weekly
"The movie is a quiet salute; it does its job....And it's got quiet, sturdy performances to match." 10/08/2004 p.90

Los Angeles Times
"As a loving tribute to the courage and sacrifice of firefighters, it's first-class." 10/01/2004 p.E8

Chicago Sun-Times
"[An] uncommonly effective film..." 03/04/2005 p.12

ReelViews 7 of 10
Ask any group of five-year old boys what they want to be when they grow up, and I guarantee that more than one will exclaim, "A fireman!" Models of heroism since long before September 11, 2001, firemen have held an elite place in the civic mindset, perhaps a half-step above policemen and soldiers. This isn't the first movie about fireman, but, at least in its faithfulness to the rigors and dangers of the job, it may be the most accurate. However, as good as the fire-fighting material is, the dramatic backstory is awash in clichŽs and insipid melodrama. One could argue that such an approach isn't all bad - after all, it allows us to know and like the characters - but there are times when Ladder 49 gets a little too cute...Overall, I would consider the film to be a modest success, but not a great breakthrough. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
The best compliment I can pay "Ladder 49" is to say that it left me feeling thoughtful and sad. I was surprised it had such an effect. I walked in expecting an action picture with heroic firemen charging into burning buildings for last-minute rescues. "Ladder 49" has the heroes and the fires and the rescues, but it's not really about them. It's about character, and about the kind of man who risks his life for a living...The movie is not about a dying man whose life passes before his eyes, but about a man who saved a life and put himself in danger, and how he got to that place in his life, and what his life and family mean to him. Because it is attentive to these human elements, "Ladder 49" draws from the action scenes instead of depending on them. Phoenix, Travolta, Barrett and the others are given characters with dimension, so that what happens depends on their decisions, not on the plot. - Roger Ebert