Ladder 49

Rating:
Summary: Best DANG FREAKIN MOVIE EVER!!!!
Review: Im a firefighter in GA. I went to see that movie the day its debut in the theaters. I look back over the fires that i have been in and i tell that there are alot of similarities. To all you critics you don't know a dang thing about us SMOKE EATERS. So don't say that that was predictable. Cause what do you know! NOT A DANG THING. That movie can give maybe just a little insight to what we firefighters go threw on a daily bases. John Travolta, And Phoniex did a awesome job. 5 *****

Rating:
Summary: Trapped in a fire - Time for reflection
Review: "Ladder 49" is an up and down action/drama movie. You get the intense action with the firefighting scenes, as well as the drama of everything else going on in Jack's life. Whether or not this is more 'drama' than 'tribute' to firefighters, I'm not one to say. Since 9/11, it seems like the police force and firefighters have been glorified to no end - and I have no issue with this at all. Their chosen profession makes them potentially lay their life on the line everyday of the year. "Ladder 49" follows Jack (Joaquin Phoenix) as he heroically saves a man from a dangerous fire. Jack gets injured and is then trapped in the burning building. It's here in the fire that Jack begins to reflect on his life/career/marriage/etc. John Travolta puts in a very good performance as the fire chief and mentor. As good as Travolta can be ("Pulp Fiction", "Saturday Night Fever", etc), it seems like the last few movies I've seen him in have been sub-par roles ("Basic", "The Punisher", "Battlefield Earth", "Domestic Disturbance"). When the men in the movie are not battling the fires, it seems like they're playing practical jokes on each or drinking large amounts of beer. A lot of drinking in "Ladder 49" in my opinion is portrayed as male bonding, a little bit of healing and forgetting, and a dash of machismo... even if it is a bit excessive. As good as the firefighting material is though, the dramatic backstory (Jack's reflection) is somewhat sappy and melodramatic. DVD extra features are almost non-existent. 1:55 minutes long including the credits. Touchstone Pictures outdid itself with a great cast, wonderful sets and scenery, and intense special (fire) effects. Get past some of the cliches and sap and view "Ladder 49" for what it is - entertainment! 4.5 stars.

Rating:
Summary: A real tribute
Review: Despite what a lot of people are thinking, this movie did not start out as a tribute to the 9/11 firefighters. It was a tribute to the Worcester (MA) Firefighters, or the "Worcester Six" They had a lot of the scenes of the movie shot already, but the families of the Worcester Six, for whatever reason, did not give their premission for the movie to be made, so the changed some things and this is the movie that resulted. Instead of being based around six firefighters, it was based around one.
It is an incredible movie, and it hits home pretty hard. It gives you a great inside look at firefighting and what these men and women deal with. However, I have been told by many firefighters that the scenes do not even depict how hard it is to see in a fire, the smoke gets much much much ticker and darker.
This movie is a tribute to firefighters everwhere and i know that i've gained a new-found respect for them and what they do. If they didn't have any problems with the movie, no real critisims, i don't see how anyone else could.

Rating:
Summary: I'd Rather Let My House Burn to the Ground
Review: Firefighters! You saw it coming; I saw it coming. It crept up on us with a few TV dramas and eventually shat itself onto the big screen. I can only expect a line of toys and sugary cereals will follow. Ugh! Not only did Ladder 49 fail to meet my already-low expectations, but it literally managed to bore the crap out of me; and, yes, actually, I do mean literally.

The movie initially feigns to unfold in this "crazy" nonlinear fashion by beginning at the end. Jack Morrison, played by the crappier but still alive Phoenix brother, responds to his fantasy fire, and suddenly finds himself badly injured, trapped in an 80 story concrete building after a partial collapse. As he lay dying, Morrison contemplates his life, beginning the assault of linear flashbacks and revealing the weak, if not insignificant, story.

As a decade in the life of firefighter Jack Morrison passes, from his hose fumbles as a rookie to his heroic rescues as a seasoned veteran, we see how the sacrifice and trauma of being part of the Baltimore City Fire Department impacts his relationships and mental health.

Initially, I failed to understand the purpose of the flashback story telling and thought it did little for the story. Then, I had a mental conflagration of my own and realized there was no story. There weren't even characters, just very limited, two-dimensional personas placed in impressive firefighting scenes.

As a result, it was hard, if not impossible, to identify with or actually care what happened to any of the characters. Morrison's personal development and growth didn't matter; his failing relationship with his floozy wife and kids didn't matter; and it was even hard to care about the nameless, token black firefighter who had his face melted off by the haunted steam pipe.

Without characters and a story, what do you have? You have a weak movie filled with some lame one-liners and a whole lot of firefighting. Bare bones, the movie is nothing more than a sad excuse to dramatize the struggles and sacrifices a firefighter has to make in order to avoid working in an office.

At the end of the movie, Jack Morrison is finally dead and the remaining audience finds itself sitting at his funeral. The Fire Chief, poorly cast and played by John Travolta, says a few kind words; Morrison's wife sheds a few tears; and the viewer is left with this to ponder, "How is it that fireman are always running into a burning building when everyone else is running out?" Well, in the five seconds it took me to run from my seat to the bathroom, I figured it out: Money! Thats how. Firemen are paid a handsome salary in return for a service. Our country has somehow overlooked this detail in venerating and almost immortalizing firefighters. Not to say firefighters aren't important, but heroism isn't a paid gig. Firefighters are no more heroic than garbage men and office clerks.

Ladder 49 relies heavily on our nation's blind affinity for fireman and residual, misguided patriotism. The writer and director of this movie collaborated to do nothing more than exploit the gaping hole left in Americas heart by that flaming pile of garbage in New York for the last few dollars it was worth. Congratulations, jerks.


Rating:
Summary: Best Movie about Firefighting Ever! ~A Firefighter (me)
Review: I have to say that this movie gives the most accurate portrayal of life as a firefighter that I have ever seen. Incredibly accurate with only some minor changes to make the movie workable (ie: If it was as smoky in the movie as buildings are in real life you would see nothing. NOTHING).

Enough people have commented on the great aspects of the movie, so I want to address a few criticisms:

People have said the movie is too predictable, with no plot surprises. The reason for this is they wanted to make the movie accurate. This is a movie about real people in real life' if you want a Hollywood script with a million twists and turns go somewhere else. If you want to really know what its like to be the people who are out there 24/7/365 in every place in this country putting their lives on the line for you, see this movie.

A lot of criticism has been thrown at the jokes and pranks played in the movie. None of the critics claim to have been firefighters, otherwise they would have known better. IT REALLY HAPPENS! We play jokes on each other all the time at the station, and the ones in Ladder 49 are pretty representative.

People die in this movie. Apparently some critics were surprised by this, and said it was predictable. Well no duh! Firefighting by its very nature is an extremely hazardous job, and unfortunately my brothers die frequently. In the line of duty 441 died in 2001 (343 on 9/11), 100 died in 2002, and 111 in 2003. I didn't have to look any of these numbers up by the way.

To conclude: This is an overall great movie. If you have any interest in firefighting, go see it. If you want to know more about the people who drive by on the trucks with the flashing lights, go see it. If you want to see an entertaining and thoughtful movie, go see it. Just see it. You won't regret it.


Rating:
Summary: This Movie will play you like a Violin...
Review: I REALLY wanted to like this movie. It seemed to be the kind of movie that I would be interested in.

Well, if you like a movie that has a weak, better yet, no storyline and tries to manipulate your emotions then this one is for you.

This movie is made up of scenes from a firefighter's life. While many of the scenes are interesting and/or funny the point of a movie is to tell a story. This movie tells a story but the story consists of:

See Jack join fire department.
See Jack joke and hang out with other firefighters.
See Jack put out fires.
See Jack die.

Oh, let me not forget. every 10 minutes or so this movie likes to reach out and grab your emotions and make you feel happy/sad. I found this aspect of the movie to be very annoying and manipulative. The audience deserves more respect than that. Parts of the movie remind me of a Save the Children commercial.

I like a good story. Save your money and wait until this one comes out on cable. Better yet buy Backdraft. Backdraft is a real movie with a real story.



Rating:
Summary: Ladder 49 is winning, hearfelt and a dramatic movie
Review: Joaquin Pheonix (The Village, Signs) plays Jack Morrison who on a rescue attempt in a burning building gets locked in. He revisits his past where he began working for his firefighting company led by John Travolta (The Punisher '04, Pulp Fiction) as Mike Kennedy. Pheonix over the course of his job meets a beautiful woman , Jacinda Barrett (The Human Stain) who plays Linda Morrison and Pheonix marries her and has 2 kids a boy and a girl. Also over the course of Pheonix's flashbacks we see the peril of his friends and the emotional ride of the job. Ladder 49 is winning, heartfelt and a dramatic achievement. Pheonix gives one of his best performances and Travolta keeps on adding to his line but it aint his best work. Also starring Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, Tv's The X-Files), Morris Chestnut (Under Siege 2, Boyz N The Hood), Balthazar Getty (Lord Of The Flies, Lost Highway), Billy Burke (Along Came A Spider), Tim Guinee (Blade, John Carpenters Vampires) and Jay Hernandaz (Crazy/Beautiful). This is also the movie you should see if you want to view Travolta in his boxers. One of 2004's best.



Rating:
Summary: Touching Firefighter Film
Review: JohnTravolta's wonderful acting will make you bust into tears in Ladder 49. It was one of the most dramatic films of 2004. The acting was perfect, the script could be a little better, and the stars-well, there could be more that we've heard of. I just loved this film and all it stands for. I'm not going to hestitate to buy it on DVD the first day it is released

Rating:
Summary: The best movie
Review: This movie had absolutely every emotion, fear, joy,sadness,agnst,and so many more. This is my new favorite movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat. It really makes me think about all the heros this world has that don't ask for anything from us!!! We are very lucky!!

Rating:
Summary: Wow...Wow...Wow~
Review: This was one of the best movies I have seen to date! I was intrigued from the begining to the end! I honestly don't think I even blinked an eye. The begining of the movie was a little confusing at first but once it got rolling it honestly got rolling. I personally feel this is a movie everyone should own. The movie was well made and the actors clicked so well that is was hard to think of it as a movie and not real life. My advise buy this movie. I don't think you will be disappointed!