"Ladder 49"
It's just another day in the lives of the firefighters
of Engine House 33 as Jack Morrison (Joachim Phoenix)
and his comrades rush into the upper floors of a
blazing 20 story building to save three trapped
people. They get two out and Jack is saving the third
when disaster strikes and the floor caves in beneath
him. Trapped, injured and dazed he flashes back to his
first days as a rookie firefighter assigned to "Ladder
49."
There are not a lot of surprises to "Ladder 49" but it
is a good, old-fashioned humanist/action movie that
focuses on the true heroes of the community. The
unfortunate events of 9/11 helped us regain the due
respect that firefighters have earned since Benjamin
Franklin established the first volunteer fire
department in Philadelphia back in 1735. Director Jay
Russell, with the original screenplay by Lewis Colick,
wears his heart on his sleeve with the heartfelt story
of the life of one such fireman.
As Jack's life unfolds before us, we meet the newly
graduated firefighter as he walks into his first job
at Baltimore City Fire Department's Engine House 33.
He is sent into the office of Captain Mike Kennedy
(John Travolta) where he finds his new boss in a
drunken haze. Then, he is told that the department's
priest is making his annual visit to hear confessions
and, of course, as a good catholic Jack is expected to
attend. When the shadowy cleric starts asking some
very personal questions, Jack realizes he has been had
and he has undergone his first ritual of becoming a
member of the brotherhood. The life and times of Jack
Morrison is the center of "Ladder 49."
The story switches at appropriate times and stages in
Jack's life on Ladder 49 from his current harrowing
dilemma to the events and landmarks that made up his
being to that moment. He bonds with the others in the
firehouse, an eclectic collection of amiable
characters that are too broadly drawn but benefit from
the efforts of the actors filling the roles. Soon,
Jack meets and falls for pretty Linda (Jacinda
Barrett) and the cycle of life unfolds - love,
marriage, birth, danger, tragedy and death are all
part of the fabric of the firefighter's existence.
Joachim Phoenix is proving to be a talented and
capable actor that has good range of character. As
Jack Morrison he is a good-natured, likable everyman
who loves his job, his wife, friends and family. The
script affords his character to develop into a real
person, giving his life-threatening plight in the
burning building a real resonance. As Jack's fate
unfolds, you are both hopeful and fearful for the man
in his hour of need.
The supporting cast doesn't get the chance to fully
develop their characters, unfortunately, but the
actors give their under drawn roles their best shot.
John Travolta, the name attraction for "Ladder 49,"
keeps a step back and smartly gives the limelight to
Phoenix. He is amusing and thoughtful as Jack's boss
and good friend and injects humor as a captain who is
willing to take part in station shenanigans. Jacinda
Barrett gives a yeoman's performance as Jack's
girlfriend and wife, Linda. Hers is the kind of role
that is usually thanklessly clichéd but the actress
and the script make it better than the norm.
Of the firehouse minion, Robert Patrick comes across
best as Lenny Richter, putting dimension into his role
as a tough, pragmatic senior firefighter who accepts
the dangers and losses of his chosen profession.
Morris Chestnut, Kevin Daniels, Kevin Chapman,
Balthazar Getty, Billy Burke, Tim Guinee, and an
underutilized Jay Hernandez make up the rest of the
Engine 33 team. The actors are put through their paces
and little more as they fill in the background of
Jack's life.
Techs are traditional and solidly crafted. James L.
Carter's photography gives both the day-to-day life of
a fireman and the fast-paced tension of fighting a
fire (through the eyes of the fighter) a distinct
look, cool and hot. Makeup neglects to show the
changes the years bring upon the characters as the
story spans a decade. A little graying at Mike
Kennedy's temples is the only clue that time marches
on. Production design, particularly the mindless
rampage of fire, does a good job in conveying the
danger and confusion that a conflagration brings in
its wake.
I heard mutterings of, `Well, it isn't ‘Backdraft,'"
as I left the screening of "Ladder 49." My response
is, yeah, it isn't "Backdraft." Nor is it meant to be.
That Ron Howard film built up the inferno into a
living, breathing being with malicious, hateful
intent. Jay Russell and company tell a much more
thoughtful story that expresses the deserved good
feelings we have for the best of the best. I give it a
B-.
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