Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta star in this well-intentioned but somewhat overly indulgent encomium to the brave firemen who run into burning buildings for a living. Set against a busy Baltimore engine company, “Ladder 49” takes us inside the ordinary lives of men who regularly exhibit extraordinary courage under the most dire of circumstances. Director Jay Russell and his crew clearly have tremendous respect for the film’s heroes, so much so that they resist imbuing them with any appreciable imperfections … you know, the peccadillos that make us human. Without any significant personal predicaments to react to outside the workplace (beyond boiler plate relationship issues), Phoenix and Travolta are left with but one issue to resolve: Putting out the fires. And in “Ladder 49,” there are plenty of five-alarmers.
When we meet Jack Morrison (Phoenix), he’s trapped inside a burning warehouse in which he was seriously injured saving the life of a civilian. Lying helpless in the rubble as all hell breaks loose around him, Jack flashes back to the seminal events that brought him there: His first day on the job; meeting his mentor, Capt. Mike Kennedy (Travolta); marrying the lovely and devoted Linda (Jacinda Barrett); the birth of his kids; saving a young girl from an inferno; etc. Meanwhile, back in real time, Kennedy and his men try desperately to rescue Jack as conditions deteriorate, providing Russell and director of photography James L. Carter the opportunity to showcase some spectacular fire sequences. A buffed-up Phoenix does a fine job fleshing out an underwritten role — with a simple facial expression he has the ability to impart a sense of conflict that might otherwise not exist. Travolta’s talents are underutilized here, his one-dimensional character relegated to delivering platitudinous sermons about honor and duty without a hint as to what makes him tick. Barrett, a former “Real World” cast member, is a revelation who anchors the film’s most heart-rending scene. (Rated PG-13 for intense fire and rescue situations, and for language. Running time: 117 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 1, 2004. Read the original PDF.