Ladder 49 Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES
A bond forged by fire is never broken.
The fire starts this fall.
Their greatest challenge lies in rescuing one of their own
Everything they know. All that they love. Is what they risk every day.
Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy (Travolta), probationary firefighter Jack Morrison (Phoenix) matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. And as he reflects on his life, now Assistant Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him.
| Joaquin Phoenix | Jack Morrison |
| John Travolta | Captain Mike Kennedy |
| Jacinda Barrett | Linda Morrison |
| Morris Chestnut | Tommy Drake |
| Billy Burke | Dennis Gauquin |
| Kevin Chapman | Frank Mckinny |
| Jay Hernandez | Keith Perez |
| Kevin Daniels | Don Miller |
| Robert Patrick | Ed Reilly |
| Balthazar Getty | Ray Gauquin |
| Tim Guinee | Tony Corrigan |
| Steve Maye | Pete Lamb |
| Brooke Hamlin | Katie Morrison |
| Spencer Berglund | Nicky Morrison |
| Jay Russell |
6.50 out of 10 (16991 votes)
Visitor Reviews
You may feel obligated to find Ladder 49 touching...
posted on 20 Aug 2009Well, I wasn't really expecting much of this movie when I went to watch it, but who knew how truly uninspiring it could be. I've read numerous reviews from other people on this movie and one clear message came through. People liked this movie a lot because it shows the true heroic actions of firefighters in a post 9/11 world. Well I'm thoroughly sick of Americans who seem to think that 9/11 was the turning point for everyone to start appreciating firemen. I think firefighters are heroes in an important way, but why did it take a terrorist attack and firefighters doing their job to really bring this fact to the American consciousness? That would be as ignorant as saying that we understand and appreciate the dangers of icebergs in a post 1912 world. Firefighters are dedicated individuals who have been given a superhero status overnight because the American public feels guilty about not lavishing them with this much attention in the pre 9/11 world. Because of this Ladder 49 has generally been seen in a way that makes it better than it really was.Overall the movie was a real bore, looking primarily at the life of Phoenix's character, Jack, as a firefighter. The movie seems to mostly jump between two types of scenes: The firemen enjoying a good prank/ party...or...fighting a fire. This pattern shows us the day to day life of a firefighter, but it crams the same point down our throats; firemen are fun and playful men who know how to jump into action when the need arises. Sure this is the life of a firefighter, but where is the good movie in all of this? For many people it was artificially formed in their mind based on a need to celebrate firemen after 9/11. This movie is nothing more than Jack getting pranked on, fighting fires, forming a family, then dying. If anything, this movie seems to insist that firefighters live a life that's a continuous battle that they will eventually lose.If you want an interesting movie with a firefighter, watch Frequency or Backdraft. Both show firemen as brave heroes, but they also focus on having an interesting story and events that lead the plot somewhere. Ladder 49 was nothing more than emotional fodder for the American public that tried too hard to capture the ups and downs of a firefighter's world. Each scene was designed to pull at the heartstrings of the audience, but it was too forced and pointless. The only goal this movie seemed to have was to show us what a thankless, hopeless, and tragic profession firefighting is. The movie wasn't entertaining because it was too bland and repetitive in its effort to create down-to-earth characters, and it wasn't touching for those same reasons. The movie was only made to fill the void in the movie industry that the public had unofficially agreed needed to be filled. I'm sure that most people who wrote reviews praising this movie was blind to the lack of story, and merely felt obligated to like it. The only success this movie will have is based around the notion that this movie needed to be made when really it adds nothing to our feeling of firefighters. If you need this movie to show you that firefighters are heroes, then you are as sad as those who needed 9/11 to discover it in the first place.
Excellent Entertainment
posted on 10 Aug 2009LADDER 49 ****1/2 In the DVD featurette, we hear the actors commenting how they took the work of firefighters for granted, but having undergone the training necessary to become one of them (this was for them to accurately act out the tactics involved in firefighting), it made them realize the intensity and physical and emotional exhaustion that comes with it. Certainly, this film has made me honor and commend real-life workers of this sort. Rising star Joaquin Phoenix is outstanding as a firefighter trapped inside of a 20-story building blazing with fire who begins to recall the past ten years of his life as he awaits assistance. John Travolta is equally fine as the chief who admires Phoenix as a great fellow worker. The dramatic scenes are played to tap into our more delicate emotions, while the comedic scenarios provide comic relief. How do some men enter a burning building while others run out from it? is the general question this movie answers, too.
One of the best movies I have seen in years!!!
posted on 02 Aug 2009This movie is a true treat. It moves along smoothly from beginning to end. It has all the qualities of a great movie that would appeal to a wide audience. There is plenty of humor, action, and drama. A true representation of the sacrifice our firemen make everyday. I know there was not a dry eye in the house at the end. Travolta was at his best. Phoenix was outstanding. I would not recommend this movie for young children, as some of the scenes are quite graphic. The fire scenes are incredible and the director has done a great job making you feel as if you are part of the action. By the end of the film, one is able to identify with Phoenix's character and is able to know what drives a fireman to do the job he or she does.
painful
posted on 02 Aug 2009My standards for in-flight entertainment are pretty low, but this movie was so worthless I gave up after half an hour or so and just read. It's basically a movie about this really ordinary, uninteresting guy that kind of shows you his life. He gets a job, meets a girl, gets married, that sort of thing. And he's a fireman, so you see some fires. Phoenix exhibits a stunning lack of charisma as the lead and Travolta is competent and sincere but that's about it.I really wanted to like this movie, because I was trapped on an airplane and I get motion sickness if I read, but I cannot understand how anyone could enjoy this movie unless they just have the hots for firemen and that's all they need in a movie.
Amazing Movie
posted on 27 Jul 2009Ladder 49 was an amazing movie. It portrays the life of firefighters. Not only in the fire house, but what effect if has on their outside life. I am the daughter of firefighter and come from a family with a long chain of firefighters so I understand what emotional feelings the families were going though during the movie. I don't cry at too many movies but this one definitely got to me. The movie was amazing and very life like. I especially thought that it was a great movie because they did not just show the fire. They showed family and outside things that firefighters do in their spare time. It wasn't just about their work. I would definitely recommend this movie because I thought overall it was just an amazing movie.
4 stars!
posted on 01 Jul 2009This movie was fabulous! Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta delivered outstanding performances. It even made my dad cry! This movie is really a tear-jerker, but I would not recommend this to viewers under the age of 12. Some of the fire sequences are a bit heavy, and there are a few s--- bombs, and a slight gay reference. Other than that, anyone who loves movies should pick this title up and watch it. Also, grab a box of Kleenex. Yer gonna need it! Please, keep in mind that if you are a religious person, that the fake confessional scenes might be a bit offensive. But every one will enjoy this movie; whether you enjoy sad movies or not! I guarantee it!
One of the best
posted on 29 Jun 2009This movie was by far one of the best I have ever seen. My father is a retired firefighter and about a year after he retired, this movie came out. He claims that "It was so realistic. It portrayed the exact emotion of a person during a fire." Joaquin Phoenix played an awesome and true part. He stayed true to his character. If I could give it more than 10, I would. I hope everyone enjoys it. All firefighters can probably agree that it is so good and true that it would just relate so much. Everyone I talked to agrees with me that it is very good. Hopefully everyone else agrees. Happy Spring! and Don't let the snow bring your hopes of a beautiful spring down.
How predictable can one movie get
posted on 23 Jun 2009This comment DOES contain spoilers, but it really doesn't matter as you won't even care.Synopsis: The flashback story of a guy who came from being a rookie in the fire department to getting where he is now (wounded in a burning building).Not since Armageddon have I seen such a large collection of clichés in one movie.Let's see:-Rookie joins up, going through 'initiation' of practical jokes, takes in good jest. -Meets future wife in supermarket, he's the quiet 'friend' of the jock trying (unsuccessfully) to chat up girl no.2 -Future wife is instant hit with all his workmates and is able to drink them all under the table. -'Couldn't be happier' part 1 -Close friend and colleague dies in accident during the line of duty. Emotional funeral, lots of lingering shots on vacant faces still in shock. -Wife says 'I don't want you to do this any more' -He takes up the search and rescue position over from his dead friend and colleague. Coincidentally the most dangerous position.-Everything goes swimmingly for a couple of years including child's birthday party with about 50 guests all laughing and joking with the kids. No-one pukes, passes out or argues. -'Couldn't be happier' part 2 -Close friend and colleague gets close to dying in accident. -Wife doesn't want him to do this any more.-At this point i was bored out of my mind and said to my wife 'The only thing that would save this movie any dignity is if he died'. -Fast forward on 4-speed through the last 15 minutes. -He dies.You've seen this movie before, of course you have. They say and do everything we've seen a thousand times before. I didn't care one jot about any of the characters. I didn't care if he lived or died. I didn't even care about any of his colleagues names. The only one i can actually remember was the main character, called what else but 'Jack'.Save your money, go flush your toilet for 105mins and watch that instead. After a while you'll know what's coming at what point but it's exactly the same watching this movie.
Good On Its Own Terms
posted on 23 Jun 2009During the 1850s, Currier & Ives published a series of prints called The American Fireman, showing handsome, gallant firemen rushing to blazes, hosing down the flames, and rescuing the helpless. In 1902 the first American movie to use dramatic editing, Edwin S. Porter's Life of an American Fireman, showed handsome, gallant firemen rushing to blazes, hosing down the flames, and rescuing the helpless. Ladder 49 -- well, you see the pattern here. It's an effective modern expression of a long tradition, and critics who complain that it was not harsh enough and didn't show enough flaws -- in short, that it was not F/X's Rescue Me -- miss the point. It didn't want to be, and people like me who are suckers for men who run into burning buildings wanted exactly the kind of picture it presents.It works because Joaquin Phoenix and Jacinda Barrett make it work. They're both way too good looking for the roles -- particularly Barrett, who never shows any discernible wear and tear from 10 years of raising a couple of kids in a row house on a fireman's salary. But that's Hollywood, and Currier & Ives firemen were pretty handsome too. The principals give believable performances as people who are decent and sincere but not very articulate or well schooled, and who are content with the modest satisfactions of work, family, church and friends. Speech is not their language. When they're courting, and when they're coming to terms with the dangers and fears that go with the Job, they sound believably sincere because their thoughts and feelings are just a little bit bigger than they are able to express in words.To me, the key to the characters is a bit of byplay on their first date. Linda has just told Jack that she works in a store where the customers make their own jewelry and that she's made some of the jewelry she's wearing. Jack nervously asks her, "Are you some kind of artist?" Linda replies, "No, it's just a job. I help people." He has actually asked her whether she think's she's somebody creative, somebody special, and therefore somebody better than a guy like him, and she reassures him that she's just a working person like he is and wouldn't consider herself above being married to a handsome fireman.The other firefighters are Jack's only family and become Lindas's. Though they're both young, neither has visible parents or siblings at the wedding or later at the kids' birthday parties. Instead, Chief Kennnedy fills the role of Uncle/Grandpa. Jack doesn't go to bed with Linda or tell her that he loves her until after she's passed muster with the other firemen at the bar, and the other wives welcome her into the family at the wedding reception.The rituals of the Roman Catholic Church -- marriage, baptism, midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and of course the funeral -- are the milestones of Jack's life with Linda. Even the mildly blasphemous mock confessions used to haze rookie firemen show an acceptance of the sacred as an everyday part of life.Bottom line is an idealized, sentimental portrait of an Irish Catholic working guy who loves his kids, loves his wife, and above all loves the Job because he gets to help people. I know what it leaves out, but that's another movie. I wouldn't have Ladder 49 any other way.
this movie was incredible!!!!
posted on 21 Jun 2009Ladder 49 was the best movie i have seen in a long time. I cant imagine being married to a firefighter with two kids and seeing that red car pull up. i wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. I really honor firefighters, as my uncle was one of the survivors from September 11th and it was due to the courageous men working that day that he made it out alive. In my eyes they are all Heroes and they should be given more honors and a better salary as they are the ones risking there lives for Americans every day. I feel that this movie has really opened up to Americans the risks that not only them but the women marrying them take. That this isn't just a movie its reality and we should never take this men or women for granted.
Good, solid motion picture
posted on 21 Jun 2009I completely agree with Berardinelli on this one, while I believe that Ebert exaggerated a little with the accolades. This is a good solid film but nothing more. The story is predictable, the script full of cliché's. On the other hand, the cinematography and the sound are excellent, which greatly improves the overall movie watching experience. The actors do a decent job, but nothing worthy of great praise in my opinion. It's a nice movie to watch, a decent diversion, and as Berardinelli put it, "there's nothing terribly wrong with that".Last but not least, I think the film deserved at least a couple of nominations, namely for the cinematography, sound and visual f/x. It's a pity they don't have an Oscar in the category of stunt men, because the people who worked in this film highly deserved one.
A good try, but ...
posted on 28 May 2009Given that firefighters are among the most admired people in the world and that the opportunity for special effects with such a topic is large, it's a pity that this effort falls so flat. Good performances and impressive settings are not enough - the picture needs a better plot structure and a director who understands the dynamics of tension and relief of tension.Plot: Once we've settled-in to the flashback structure, we know which of the characters are going to make it "into the present", so to speak. Despite the dramatic goings-on, there's not a great deal of suspense.Direction: Frequent tension/relief of tension is hard to pull-off. By about half-way the fires start to have a dramatic sameness and the off-duty buddy scenes are very predictable.The fires do look wonderful, but are they realistic? The exteriors are fair enough but the interiors look exactly like what they are - carefully lit studio sets. Inside, there's not enough smoke. In the real world, that's what fires are about - smoke, smoke and more smoke. Diificult to do on film, of course, but let's not pretend that an effort such as this is realistic.
Exceptional movie due its original view on firefighting
posted on 26 May 2009From the moment that Ladder 49 came out in the USA I ordered a copy to look at the movie. As a fire photographer I'm closely involved in Firefighting, SAR, EMS, etc...The moment I first watched Ladder 49 I became intrigued by the movie. Instead of the normal "firefighting" movies, Ladder 49 was a different movie... It has his share of spectacular fires, running firemen, trucks, etc... But the surprise was the movies is focusing on the "man and his family" behind the firefighter. In about one and an half hour you can watch Jack growing up during the years. You see we he's entering the station, the typical practical jokes with rookies, etc... Jack becomes married, is getting children: short: the wild boy his transformed into a perfect father for his kids and a loving husband for his beautiful wife. Friends are getting hurt, one even dies and you can see the grief of Jack when he mourns at the loss of his friend. The movies becomes sometimes a bit sad, especially when Jack tells his friend and boss Mike to redraw all the firefighters who are looking for him at the engulfed building. Also the funeral scene is rather sad, you can see that there is a huge amount of respect for firefighters in the USA, certainly when someone is killed in action.I found it rather sad the movie never came into the Belgian theaters, it was announced two times bud for unknown reasons the movies never came... It became a direct DVD release... To bad since many firefighters were waiting on such a movie... Certainly since 2004 was a dark year for Belgian firefighters, 5 where killed in a huge gas explosion in Ghillenghien. It was the correct time to release to movie to the theaters, but it never happened...Neverless, Ladder 49 is a great movie, in fact, I find it more interesting then Backdraft... Backdraft was a great movie but it missed the thing that Ladder 49 had... The stories of the firefighters...
More than a "Fireman Movie"
posted on 22 May 2009I expected this to be typical Hollywood action fare, along the lines of the 1991 Ron Howard film, "Backdraft". I was pleasantly surprised to find a very character-driven movie about person who happens to be a firefighter and what it does to the relationship with his wife.While I am not a fireman, the action sequences seemed to have a realistic feel to them. The direction and plot didn't go over the top to make these guys overly heroic. They are heroic by the nature of their work, so it isn't necessary to hype that aspect.The characters make this movie. There is considerable depth to the writing. The camaraderie between the fireman is presented in both the writing and the acting very well. The relationship between Joaquin Phoenix character and his wife is where this movie really shines.There were a few things in the movie that was a little too "Hollywood", but that was not enough to diminish the enjoyable nature of this film.
A truly exceptional tribute to real life heroes
posted on 22 May 2009Unlike most Hollywood films, this one has not been given the Tinsel Town treatment. It shows the dangers that firefighters face every day, while also showing the strain it puts on their families. The action scenes are simply amazing and incredibly realistic, mainly because all the fires in the movie are real. There are moments that show how in their line of work, things can easily turn ugly.This film is a superb tribute to the firefighters who gave their lives during 9/11, with strong performances from all the actors, especially Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta. This movie deserves to be watched by everyone because of it's realism and it's inspirational tale of the lives of true heroes.It just makes me feel sick when I hear about kids abusing firefighters and setting fires deliberately. If they watched this movie, maybe they wouldn't do it.10/10
Fighting fires with camaraderie in tact
posted on 20 May 2009LADDER 49 (2004) ** Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett, Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Billy Burke, Balthazar Getty, Tim Guinee, Jay Hernandez. Under whelming look at Baltimore firefighters focusing on Phoenix during a blaze where he is trapped and in flashback looks at how he came to be in the company of his fellow brothers in arms. Although it is a technically well-done portrayal of how the machinations of fighting infernos with aplomb and the camaraderie is felt for the most part, the mediocre script by Lewis Collick doesn't emphasize enough as to the pertinent reasons why one runs into a fire when others flee.(Dir: Jay Russell)
Good representation
posted on 16 May 2009Having several coworkers who are volunteer firefighters, I asked them what they thought of Ladder 49 and all replied that it was hands down the best representation of what it's like to be on the fire department that a film has made to date. That's just one of this film's many strengths. From its fractured narrative (bouncing around in the past while in the present) to its strong human relationships, Ladder 49 is a great piece of film-making. Even though I knew how it was going to end, I was still upset when it finally happened because I was so engrossed with the characters and their lives. Ladder 49 is a raw, true film that wraps the viewer in its tale and doesn't let go. And besides can a film rally go wrong when it features The Pogues on the soundtrack?
Wow
posted on 10 May 2009I have been married to a firefighter for 10 years, We saw this movie and for once he didn't add his comments on what is wrong and what was right. The only thing he asked was if I had nightmares about the arrival of the Chief at the house. As a wife you always worry about him coming home. Even though he has been doing this for almost 16 years, this is who he is. To fight the fire is his life I would never ask him to change. I loved this movie. It showed what we think, about the missed Christmas's, the missed time with the kids. There are sacrifices ever fireman's wife makes, but we are also the backbone of the family. We listen when they help someone, we are there when they lose someone. It was great to see a movie that showes the life of a fireman, not just the fire.
'Thrilling fire scenes and poignant drama. An excellent, entertaining film.'
posted on 10 May 2009With a relatively simple story, 'Ladder 49' shows us the life and career of a fire firefighter as he grows from a cocky rookie to a family man, and how his life as a firefighter not only changes him, but how his life changes the way he comes to view being a firefighter.Told 'in media res,' the film opens with Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) and his brother firefighters entering a large warehouse enveloped in flame. Before long, Jack is separated from his group, and trapped by collapsed floors and debris. As he waits for his coworkers to save him, he flashes back through his career, beginning with the day he first walked into Captain Kennedy's (John Travolta) firehouse. The movie inter cuts various moments throughout Jack's career with scenes of him trapped in that warehouse in the 'present,' where his chances of rescue look bleak.The movie avoids the tendency to glorify the lives of firefighters in purely heroic terms by illustrating the toll the life of a firefighter takes on him and his family. When Jack first meets Linda (Jacinda Barrett, of MTV's 'The Real World London'), the job of running into burning buildings to rescue trapped people is fascinating and sexy; the stuff great first dates are made of. But as Jack and Linda build a life together, the dangers inherent in his job become impossible to ignore, as he is forced to cope with the loss of fellow firefighters, and she is forced to endure the terrifying possibility of a red car pulling up to her door every night to tell her every wife's worst nightmare. When his Captain asks him one night if he loves the job the way he did when he first started, one notices that Jack doesn't give a direct answer, and when he asks in response if he's saying that he should leave the firehouse, Kennedy answers that he thinks it's a question Jack should be asking himself.These are valid concerns, to which the movie does not pay mere lip service. We bond with the characters and experience their fears and their grief, largely because we get to see as much of the firefighters' camaraderie and sense of family as we do of them fighting fire (though we see plenty of that too, and the firefighting scenes 'are' excellently done). It's probably no accident that there is little conflict among the firefighters (only Lenny, played by Robert Patrick, is at all antagonistic, and even then, not much); that they are all nice guys allows us to like them, and sympathize with them through their joys and their pains. The conflict, rather, is in the conflict inherent in those occupations that require people not only to take huge risks and sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice, but which require the same of their wives and loved ones as well. It is through the thrilling action sequences of buildings exploding in flame and the inevitable tragedies that result that the movie is able to successfully convey firefighting as an occupation that is both inescapably glorious and frightening. It is because these are all too-real concerns easily mirrored in real life, moreso now in a post-9/11 world than ever before, that the film is able, without a deeply convoluted story or extremely edgy plot twists, to elicit our emotions and hold our interest.The plot is not a high-concept 'what if.' It is merely about life.Specifically, it's about the lives of those who are paid to give theirs to save ours.
Simple story is an accurate depiction of firefighters
posted on 30 Aug 2009One of the most refreshing things about this film is that it's told in a more honest and straightforward manner without resorting to theatrics the way "Backdraft" did. Story here is about Baltimore firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) who has just saved a man from a fire in a warehouse but later the 12th floor caves in sending him plummeting down several floors where he lies badly hurt and drifting in and out of unconsciousness. While Jack lies there he is able to remember the last 10 years of his life when he first reported for duty with Ladder 49. In flashbacks we see Jack meeting all of the other firefighters that he will be working with and he also meets Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) who takes him under his wing and teaches him everything he can about being the best firefighter.*****SPOILER ALERT*****In other flashback sequences we see Jack meet Linda (Jacinda Barrett) who will become his wife and the mother of their two children. But over the course of the next decade Jack also experiences the trauma of seeing coworkers maimed and dying while on the job which leads to stress in his marriage but Linda comes to understand what it is to be the wife of a firefighter. While lying at the bottom of the warehouse with an out of control fire around him Jack radios Mike and tells him that he understands the type of situation he's in and now Mike must make the hardest decision of his life.This film is directed by Jay Russell (My Dog Skip, Tuck Everlasting) and given the approach the script takes with this story it seems that he's a good choice to direct this film. While we do see lives being saved and these brave men risking everything to put out fires this is more of a straightforward look at the life of one firefighter. Unlike "Backdraft" (Which I enjoyed) which relied on elaborate scenes of action to be the focus of the story this film instead chooses to be more intimate in it's storytelling. The films strength and effectiveness comes from it's simplicity and instead of going the usual Hollywood route of over the top melodrama this film stands firm in it's realism. Travolta is cast in a supporting role and he seems aware of it because he gives Phoenix all the room he wants to give a solid performance and be the focus of the film. This film doesn't try to be something other than an honest portrait of a typical firefighter and that in itself is something I found refreshing.