Release Date: 28 October 2004

Synopsis :

Jack Morrison (Phoenix) is a fireman. Rewarding as the work is, the physical toll, high risk, and low pay often make Jack wonder if he has done the right thing for his wife and children. Even the support and encouragement he receives from his mentor and chief (Travolta) and the fellow firemen in his firehouse, Ladder 49, can't help Jack shake the feeling. But when Jack becomes trapped in the worst blaze of his career, it is now he who needs to be rescued. With the fire raging in every direction and his brothers-in-arms struggling to set him free, the question of whether Jack will live or die hangs in the balance.

Review:

It has been ages since we last saw a Fireman theme movie. Most memorable might be Ron Howard's "Backdraft" which was released almost 10 over years ago. "Ladder 49" premise seem interesting enough. A story about family, brotherhood and committments to a high-risk job. "Ladder 49" opens with Jack (Joaquin Phoenix) being trapped inside a blazing building, slowly fading to the past when the audience see Jack reports on his first day of work as a fireman. The timeline of the movie moves to and forth, flashing to the past and intercut to the present. While this differs from the usual way of storytelling and giving it a fresh perspective, the audience might at times feel detached from the emotional feeling and action sequences portrayed on screen.

From "Gladiator" to "The Village", Joaquin Phoenix's performance as Jack Morrison reaffirms his status as the new leading man of the decade. He has proven his versatile in tackling a variety of movie genres and he fits perfectly in the role of Morrison. A man who is equally devoted to his job and his family. John Travolta stays as sharp as ever as Morrison's mentor and chief of the engine company. Look out for rising young Australian actress Jacinda Barrett who plays Morrison's wife. A woman tore between the struggle and conflicts of worrying for Jack and simultaneously supporting his passion for fire-fighting.

You would have expected flashy pyrotechics and insane explosions, instead Director Jay Russell opted for a more subtle, realistic touches. Action buffs might be a tad disappointed with that, considering they are plenty of fire-fighting sequences for the pyrotechnics team to display their skills. Eventually, "Ladder 49" played out as a heart-warming tale of heroic men plainly doing their job, irregardless of who they saved or whatever risk they need to take. The World need Superheroes and they are not in the comics, in fact they are all around us.

Movie Rating: B-