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Who cares about realism?

This film is one of the best I have seen in a long time. Having been a fan of the score for quite some time (easily Hans Zimmer's best) I though I should really see it. And... wow.

Firstly, the transfer is pretty good. There are better out there, but the special effects hold up and, yes, you can see everyones pores when they sweat. Minor grain, but nothing too distracting. Much better than what I have heard about the dvd transfer!

Moving onto the film itself, there seems to be outcries from firemen's sons who say it is not wholly accurate. But, is accuracy the point of a film? I found it very engaging, and came away from it wanting to know much more about what a "backdraft" it (look on wikipedia - it is a real. The acting was really good - thank God it was not Brad Pitt in the end - and the message came through.

I would recommend this film to anyone, because anyone can watch and enjoy it.

Fire

The Concept: 'Top Gun' meets 'Towering Inferno'This is your only spoiler warning...In these post-9/11 days, this is more of an insult to firefighters than a redeemer. The story and acting is an excuse, we knew that. After all, this is the with the director and editing crew of 'Cocoon', the writer of 'Highlander', and (the worst) a production designer from Hyams' work. Even the sound was atrocious, Zimmer does Bruckheimer-grade work and the sound team probably skimped on this to make 'T2' sound better.No, I saw this to see the use of fire. Fire is a tricky subject and is harder to manage than water. So, I was surprised to see Salomon's name attached to this. He changed our view of water with the abstract 'Abyss', where water was an almost-mythical element that had depth (no pun intended) and tone. The water exerted mood while not being in your face.That's where Howard goofed up. Here the fire has no abstract qualities.
It's only a "slasher character" and Howard shoots it as such--a simple-minded, yet threatening, sentient being. No subtexts like the Alien Queen, just Godzilla. He throws in "slasher-style" corpses to emphasize the point. DeNiro doesn't add any appreciative qualities, how sad. Since Howard simplifies any topic he does, that he endures is puzzling. That he has succeeded is a tragedy.How has Howard shown us he's matured? By throwing in locker room talk, of course. Sounds as intelligent as a McDonald's commercial.Final Analysis = = Cinematic Dud

A film that brings the viewer face to face with the realism of fire

The film has shocking images on what firefighters go through on a day to day basis. The film is about two disfunctional brothers who must team together and unravel the mystery on who is setting up the fires. Backdraft is very inspiring on showing us how two feuding simblings work together and put their differences aside, while risking their lives at the same time. Highly recommendable and very enjoyable. Great special effects.

Recommended

Ron Howardfs breakout mega-film of the early 90fs. A huge hit in the theatres, you would think a movie about big fires would translate well into HD c and it does. Like all our reviews, we skip the plot reviews because we want to know whether you should buy this movie in HD DVD or just use an upconverted SD DVD. I donft want to dote on character development (which is heavy in this movie) becasue it matters not to the HD quality. So, in short, this Universal release is a very cool movie about Chicago firemen as told through the voice of two firefighting brothers. Firefighters are unique civil servants in that they lack authority some other civil servants possess. This makes a firefighter a true hero. Obviously, then, Backdraft asserts itself as a tribute to these unique heroes.

Having watched many recently produced movies on HD DVD and many movies produced more than 20 years ago movies on HD DVD I am beginning to see a major difference in the pre-effects days in Hollywood. Backdraft is probably one of the last great action/drama movies that does not rely on effects to make things look perfect. The transfer to HD is grand but what remains is that late 80fs/early 90fs movie quality. We still have to deal with the 2 minute musical interlude to show activity: building a house, falling in love, or learning how to be a firefighter. Backdraft probably looked awesome in a theatre (I have to admit I never saw it in the theatre). The explosions and fires still hold up, and thatfs what this movie is about, but having been indoctrinated into HD with movies like Transformers where the action occurs all around you, and not just in front of you on the screen, even on a 56 TV the anamorphic 70mm looks kinda dinky. You have to respect the fact, however, that the fire in this movies is real and not digitally added. While this retains the uniqueness of the movie, it limits the directorfs ability to make a truly immersive picture. I am confident, however, that when shooting the film, cinematographer Mikael Salomon probably never said, gGee, I wonder how this will look in HD from a couchh. All old skool movie making aside, the HD picture was great - with no discernable flaws (as were exhibited in Dune, our next review).

Like most of the movies I like in HD, what makes this movie special in HD is the audio mix. Its a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix (No true HD for you Dr. Jones!) Where the cinematographer was limited the engineer really made this HD transfer shine. The fires engulfed us not with its images, but with its roar and grumbles. Additionally, the subtle environmental effects added that special favor to this movie.

The extras are forgettable. Universal, regreattable, spent no time on the menu system either which is the typical polished silver Universal HD DVD menu.

Did I like this movie? Yes. Did I like the HD transfer? sure. Would I recommend it? Yes, but there are about 50 other HD DVD movies I would get before this one - unless, of course, this is one of your all-time favorties.

Great movie! Highly realistic.

i have heard many people say that alot of it was fake and most of it could not happen but I have talked to firefighters including my father who have said that it is all true up until the end in the chemical building. It is a great movie i recomend it to everyone. It deserves 10 stars!

The fire should get top billing in this all star cast.

We have an all star cast here,but stealing the show from all of them is something whose name you are not going to see in the credits.I am talking about,of course,fire.I like this film for it's amazing special effects and for the multiple story lines placed around them.We have a set of brothers whose father was a firefighter tragically killed in the line of duty.One of those brothers has become a die hard firefighter himself,taking on all fires with a vengeance almost as if every one he fights is the one that killed his father.The other,having witnessed their father's death,is a little more hesitant and not even sure he wants to fight fires at all.There is also the usual romantic storyline thrown in,but the interesting thing about this film is the fact that it's a whodunit with a unique twist.We have a killer who does not go the usual route with guns or knives.He uses,you guessed it,fire.Fires that take out their intended victims quickly in an explosive rage,then quickly disappear.This film is well done,and is worthy of your time.

It's been said a million times

The script was dumb. The music, while good on it's own terms, was way too melodramatic for it's own good. This flicks only saving grace is the fires. Who can watch the scene where waves of flame ripple across the ceiling and not feel that sense of awe? if only the plot was better developed this would have been the ultimate fire film. Oh well. Another film in the long line of "Looks great, tastes horrible".

Great story with great special effects

The fire effects in "Backdraft" are amazing but the story of two brothers trying to work together is very impressive too. Ron Howard makes the fire seem like it's a living thing and I liked that. With the brothers (Kurt Russell and William Baldwin) trying to prove themselves and great performances by Donald Sutherland and Robert De Niro this movie is great fun.
RATING: ****

Spectacular fire scenes, but the drama is hopelessly insincere

BACKDRAFT Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Super 35)Sound formats: 6-track Dolby Stereo / Q Sound(35mm and 70mm release prints)Two firefighting brothers (Kurt Russell and William Baldwin) are forced to confront the ghosts of their past whilst pursuing an arsonist who targets prominent members of Chicago's political elite.Former TV actor Ron Howard ("Happy Days") directed this high-profile Hollywood blockbuster, in which a cast of solid B-list actors and A-list supporting players (Robert DeNiro, Donald Sutherland, et al) are upstaged by scenes of fiery devastation, wrought with frightening intensity by incredible stuntwork and state-of-the-art visual effects. Plot-wise, the film is an old-fashioned barnstormer, directed with gee-whizz efficiency by Howard, whose attempts to wring high emotion from Greg Widen's corny script rings entirely false from the outset. Hans Zimmer's generic music score is overbearing in places, particularly during the 'tragic' finale.

Howard's film is solid, better than you think

Ron Howard's action/thriller about two brothers (Baldwin and Russell), who have some differences but need to work together to find out whose causing recent arson fires in their district. THe film is done well, good acting for the most part, brilliant direction, and a decent screenplay. I thought William Baldwin started out the first couple scenes with a bit of a constant smirk on his face, but his acting seemed to improve (or maybe grow on me), he gave a satisfying performance. Meanwhile Russell was solid as well as his older brother who is an old-fashioned bitter fireman who takes too many risks. The female performances were rather average, Jennifer Jason Leigh was decent as Jennifer a girl who helps Brian (Baldwin). Rebecca DeMornay is not so great as Steven (Russel)'s ex-wife. Robert DeNiro was great in his role as a fire department detective trying to solve the case. J.T. Walsh was also decent in his role, which was similar but expanded in F. Gary Gray's THe Negotiator. The best performance of the film came from Scott Glenn who was great as a firefighter known as "Axe". I haven't seen Ladder49, so this is my favorite firefighter movie as of now. The script had some problems, as it didn't flow well, but the actors managed to save it although i was particularly upset with one dialogue between jennifer jason leigh and william baldwin which seemed like a complete rip-off of the scene where Michael Corleone and Kay see each other again after Michael is back from Sicily in Godfather part 1. But for the most part the script was average, not bad, but saved by brilliant direction, solid acting and great action. The music was done very well and suited the film, props to Hans Zimmer for yet another great score. The cinematography was also very good, especially in the fire scenes, good job by Mikael Salomon. 8/10

Sort of interesting...

For a movie chock-full-of awesome actors, I must echo the sentiment of several other viewers who have posted comments on IMBD; the movie was long and fractured. However, I respectfully disagree with some on the idea of the plot. I think the plot was an excellent idea. There were several aspects of the movie that turned me off. The most irritating was Steven McCaffrey (Russell) entering the fires without a Scott-pack. I mean REALLY, come on. I realize that Howard was trying to portraying McCaffrey as an on-the-edge, suicidal maverick and renegade who could survive thick, black, acrid smoke, but it failed to convey him as superhuman; instead, it dehumanized him. Insofar as Deniro is concerned, why he chose to be in this movie is beyond me. Obviously, money was a factor. I think Russell's portrayal of McCaffrey was decent, but perhaps Scott Glenn would've been the better choice as the lead role. In my opinion, Glenn comes across more grizzled.
Sutherland, as usual, was amazing. He is one of the most versatile actors to grace the screen. Baldwin was blah. Jennifer Jason Leigh, although nice to look at, was blah.Overall, I would give Backdraft 2.5 out of 4 stars.

excellent movie

A lot of drama and some really cool action scenes make for an excellent movie. Ron Howard is a very talented guy and this is one of his earlier breakthroughs. There's an element of artistic license in the way that Howard depicts the fires and firefighting; he also showed artistic license in his portrayal of mental illness and John Nash's life in A Beautiful Mind. Other reviewers have criticized the Backdraft script and claimed that the only good things in this movie are the fire sequences, but I disagree. I think the whole thing is good, and the final "faceoff" scene with Scott Glenn in the massive fire is classic. The movie has a bit of a 1990s feel, which may date it slightly, but I think that's part of the appeal. Kurt Russell is the king of cool, and he's perfect for this role. Another cool movie of his that not that many people know about is Dark Blue, which is about the LAPD and LA riots. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.

Amazon update your details!

This is actually a 2-disc "Anniversary" special edition.

Digitally Remastered Picture & Sound
2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
English DD5.1 Surround
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles
Ron Howard Introduction

Extras:
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Over 40 Minutes of Deleted Scenes
"Igniting the Story" -Director Ron Howard, Academy Award®-winning producer Brian Grazer and others discuss the evolution of the film from script to screen
"Bringing Together The Team" -From the casting room to firefighter clinics see how director Ron Howard brought together a talented team of actors and real-life firefighters
"The Explosive Stunts" -Filmmakers reveal the state-of-the-art technology and heroic stunts that created the explosive action of the film
"Creating the Villain: The Fire" -See how an overwhelmingly talented team of special effects creators and stunt coordinators worked together to bring the fire to life
"Real-Life Fireman, Real-Life Stories" -Get an insider's perspective on what it takes to be a firefighter in this round-table discussion with the crew of Station 73, Santa Clarit

DVD was made for a movie like this!

Backdraft is one of those movies where it touches every one of your emotions. It has great action, excellent acting-Ron Howard at his best. With DVD, the sound during the fire scenes is spectacular! I highly recommend this film!

Good but Phony

As a firefighter by trade, I felt, that it was rather over dramatic of a picture in terms of the action scenes dealing with fire fighting. Other than that, It was a well written movie and I would reccomend it to anyone.

Special Effects Makes It Mildly Entertaining

My father was a fire fighter, so when I was growing up I spent a great deal of time hanging around the fire station. And virtually any one who knows anything at all about fire fighting will tell you this is one of the most completely unrealistic films you could ever hope to see. Fire fighters rush into burning yet strangely smokeless rooms with their coats flapping open and without the proper safety equipment, and in spite of the title's implication the phenomena they are talking about is called "flashover," not "backdraft." In fact, there are so many inaccuracies in this film that a grad student could probably catalogue them as a doctoral thesis.All this having been said, BACKDRAFT is the well-crafted but essentially superficial film typical of director Ron Howard: everything is very, very slick and looks good on the screen, particularly the male leads. The story itself concerns two brothers (Kurt Russell and William Baldwin) who somehow find themselves employed by the same unit and who must bury their differences to combat a wily arsonist with the aid of their able Lieutenant (Robert De Niro) and a flaky adviser who knows about pyromaniacs since he himself used to be one (Donald Sutherland.) The cast is good, the script is mechanical, and the plot is improbable--but all of this is actually beside the point, because everything about the film exists only as an excuse for lots of special effects.And it is here that the film finally gets good marks. The pyrotechnics are great, and the film actually manages to create the impression of an out-of-control fire as something akin to a ravening beast--very impressive, and often as not more than a little unnerving. And so for once the fire, not the fire fighters, saves the day by making the film mildly enjoyable. If you can ignore the inaccuracies and take the film as a special effects film akin to the likes of VOLCANO, which had an equally silly premise, you'll probably enjoy it. Just don't expect to come out of it with even a remote idea of how fire fighters actually work. Final thought: rent it first, because one time through will probably be enough.Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

very good!

If you all think about it, backdraft was made in 1991. For a movie made then it is a very very good movie.. it is so well made and i think that if you compair it to movies today it still is as well made as those of todays standards! Backdraft was a movie i respected and watched a lot. now i am trying to become a firefighter. Backdraft has been an inspiration to me, and many other people. I believe it could have also set the standards for movies of today. It is so well made and shot! People need to realize that those people did risk their lives, and millions still do today! 9/11 is another example of outstanding fire fighters risking their lives, and Backdraft gave one aspect into the lives of fire fighters.

Simply Excellent!

Backdraft is a great one great film. Outstanding visual effects make this one a must watch. Kurt Russel, and William Baldwim play the McCaffery brothers, Robert DeNiro, and Donald Sutherland support, a great cast. Ronnie Howard's best film ever right next to Apollo 13. The sound on the dvd is excellent as all the explosions surround you with bass. However on the picture quality is where it lacks. Lots of grain, dark scenes look horundous. It's all good, great movie!

Bad

This movie starts out with our main character, as a boy, seeing his father's smoking fire helmet land at his feet, and things just go downhill from there. Hokey dialog, poor direction, unbelievable over-acting. I guess this is what you get from a director who never rose above his Happy Days roots. The scene where Kurt Russel was posing his way through a roof repair while arguing with his estranged wife was bad, the habit those guys had of entering burning buildings without oxygen, and with their jackets open just plain unrealistic; and doesn't Chicago ever have minor fires, or false alarms, or any of the other trivial calls that don't involve an entire city block and a creepy guy who sets fires for fun?

Essential viewing for fans of "IRON CHEF"

My partner Greg & I would NEVER have bothered to rent this DVD were it not for the fact that the soundtrack is used for most of the incidental music in the Japanese cooking competition "Iron Chef" (which airs Friday & Saturday nights on Food Network). "Iron Chef" is the one show we've come to watch most religiously over the past year. Think of it as professional wrestling for gourmet cooks. The show has been garnering a somewhat rabid cult following in the U.S. over the past couple of years, and it was on one of the many fan sites that I learned that the producers of the program had utilized the "Backdraft" soundtrack for most of the music. And now it seems oddly appropriate, what with all the flames licking at sumptuous slabs of Kobe beef, octopus, and foie gras.

And HEY, the movie isn't so bad either. Although I have a lot of respect for Ron Howard as a director, a drama about Chicago firefighters didn't really seem to be my cup of tea. I'm definitely NOT a fan of Kurt Russell's testosterone-laden style of acting. But overall this is a pretty compelling film with some notable pluses, in particular Donald Sutherland as the Hannibal Lecter of pyromaniacs, Robert De Niro as the tough arson investigator, and some really cool visual and sound effects that are particularly impressive on a good home theater system.

Of course, if you are a fan of "Iron Chef," you'll be hard-pressed not to lapse into some color commentary whenever the camera lingers on a smoking corpse. "Morimoto has incorporated a shattered windshield into a particularly stunning and profound presentation!"