Ladder 49 (2004)

Ladder 49 (2004) Movie Info

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Short Summary

A contrived, overly cheesy story about the bond between firemen.

Review

This might as well have been a Public Service Announcement: Don’t forget to hug your local fireman! The story is set up in a completely forced manner Phoenix’s character is stuck in a burning building and viewers are treated to flashbacks of his life as a husband and burgeoning fire figher extraordinnaire. It’s a lame gimmick aimed solely at tugging on heart strings and forcing the audience to sympathize with this cliched hero.

Naturally, life in the fire station is full of bonds that cannot be formed elsewhere. And, of course, there’s the struggle faced by Phoenix’s frightened wife of raising her children alone. Let’s not forget about the mentor student relationship between Travola as the captain and our main protagonist. The writers didn’t bother to come up with any plot aside from “life as a fireman.” While this is as impressive and noble an occupation as there is on the planet, it comes across as exploitative fodder on the heels of the terrorist attacks.

Need final evidence that the script was written in less than 30 minutes? Near the end, Travola asks the question, “What makes a fireman run into a burning building while everyone else is running out of it?” His profound answer? Courage. Considering the fact that this adjective is basis of the question itself, one might as well ask, “What makes this movie so poor?” How terrible it is.

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