Review: Ladder 49

Joaquin Phoenix plays a member of the tight-knit Baltimore Fire Dept. who falls through the crummy floor of a building whilst on the job. Whilst he is waiting for his buddies to hopefully rescue him, he reflects on his life, including his relationship with wife Jacinda Barrett (lovely as always). John Travolta is his chief, with the various members of his crew played by Billy Burke, Robert Patrick (seemingly enjoying himself playing the resident prankster), Balthazar Getty (Remember him? He used to almost be somebody), Tim Guinee, and Morris Chestnut.

Didn’t we already see this back when it was called “Backdraft”? Well-made 2004 Jay Russell (“Tuck Everlasting”) fire-fighting drama has good intentions and performances (especially by Phoenix), but cannot escape familiarity, and particularly a repetitive story. How many scenes of fire department pranks did we need to see? (Insert your own soon-to-be outdated John Travolta towel-snapping joke here) It was either that or another damn fireman getting killed on the job, or romantic scenes. Three types of scenes played over and over, with the occasional trip back to Phoenix’s current predicament. You could make a drinking game out of it, actually, but you’d die of alcohol poisoning after twenty minutes!  And then there’s the annoying flashback structure better suited to a movie-of-the-week starring Harry Hamlin, Peter Strauss, or Robert Hays or somebody like that.

The screenplay is by Lewis Colick (the underrated B-movie “Judgement Night”, the not-so underrated thriller “Unlawful Entry”). It gives you nothing you haven’t seen before, and certainly nothing you couldn’t see on TV, at least. Watchable, but unmemorable.

Rating: C+