Ladder 49, 2004

Ladder 49 has a simple premise. It follows the life of one firefighter and how his job and actions affect the lives of others, from those he rescues to his friends and family. I can't say much without giving away to much about the story, but Ladder 49 was wonderful. I love the way the story was told, and I love the pacing. I wasn't expecting as much action as I got, which was a very pleasant surprise. In between raging fires and burning buildings, we see how the main character deals with his duties outside of the firehouse. All of the performances were excellent, except maybe Jon Travolta's. While he wasn't bad, this wasn't Travolta at his best. Joaquin Phoenix was great, as usual, and a strong supporting cast filled in the blanks. The stunts were awesome. CG fire looks very fake and is usually easily noticeable, and I didn't see any in Ladder 49. Maybe I wasn't looking closely enough, but more than likely there is just very little of it in the movie. According to the trivia on IMDb.com, the warehouse fire was real, and concerned citizens all over Baltimore were calling 911 and reporting it on the day of filming. Along with the great pacing came some really decent tension. I found myself really pulling for the firefighters as they ran into burning buildings. In particular, there was a scene that involved a firefighter repelling off a rooftop to reach a stranded man on a window sill. I was literally on the edge of my seat for this one. The music, the sound effects, and the cinematography all came together with an amazing result. Ladder 49 won't win and Academy awards, but it was a fun, enjoyable movie that I think everyone can enjoy if they let themselves.

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