An affecting--if not particularly memorable--firefighter drama built around a post-9/11 brand of sacrificial all-American heroism, Ladder 49's formidable opening image of a towering warehouse embraced in the beautiful, horrible tentacles of a furious fire goes a long way towards gluing you to your seat, especially after an injured fireman (Joaquin Phoenix) becomes trapped inside when a floor collapses. As Phoenix awaits an improbable rescue from a team led by John Travolta, director Jay Russell (My Dog Skip) revisits in flashbacks Phoenix's 10 years as a firefighter, husband, and father, picking exactly the right moments to cut between present and past. Unfortunately, the film has several minor failings (like the fact that Phoenix seems implausibly under-trained at his first fire) and two major ones: 1) an intrusive, Titanic-like score, and 2) an ill-conceived, blatantly tear-jerking montage sequence (accompanied by a mawkish song about "shining your light") shoehorned into the film at the worst possible moment. With its excessive pandering to audiences seeking poignant, selfless heroism at a time of great national distress, Ladder 49 raked in $70 million-plus at the box office, but on home video it is sure to fizzle out before long. Optional. [Note: Available in either a widescreen or full screen version, DVD extras include an “enhanced home theater mix” audio option, audio commentary by director Jay Russell and editor Bud Smith, a 21-minute three-part "making-of" featurette,” the 14-minute featurette “Everyday Heroes” on real-life firefighter stories, five deleted scenes (14 min.), the Robbie Robertson music video “Shine Your Light,” and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)
Ladder 49
Touchstone, 115 min., PG-13, VHS: $24.99, DVD: $29.99, Mar. 8 Volume 20, Issue 2
Ladder 49
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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