Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama, Melodrama, Marriage, Urban, Suspense
Tagline: A bond forged by fire is never broken.
Plot: The life of devoted firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) as it hangs in the balance. In his zeal to help rescue a trapped civilian, Jack has been swallowed deep inside a warehouse now transformed into a furnace of snarling flames, impenetrable black smoke and collapsing debris. Cut off from all help, Jack fights for survival, while outside his mentor and Fire Chief, Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), battles to get his best friend out alive. As the two men make a desperate last gambit, Jack reflects, moment by moment, year by year, on how he got himself into this predicament.Starting with the day he first met then-Captain Kennedy and joined the Baltimore Fire Department, Jack journeys back in time to reveal a gripping account of a hero-in-the-making. He recalls his initiation into the close-knit, prank-filled, courage-fed band of brothers at the firehouse, and the discovery of his own deeply held compulsion to save lives. But beyond the thrills and excitement of fighting fires, also lies something else: the powerful bonds of friendship with his fellow firefighter Tommy Drake (Morris Chestnut) and the enduring romance that he has fought to keep alive with his equally strong wife Linda (Jacinda Barrett). Pushed to the limits of loyalty and courage, Jack holds tight to
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 What makes this nonsense more galling than usual is that while ''Ladder 49'' might have started out as a heartfelt attempt to honor those in the line of literal fire, it weighs in as an attempt to exploit their post-Sept. 11 symbolism.--Manohla Dargis (The New York Times)
I would classify Ladder 49 as a "safe" movie. There's nothing daring about it, but it offers a solid emotional core and there is a touching payoff. The movie's drama is a little on the soggy side, and that's what keeps me from giving a hearty recommendation. Few who see it will regret the experience, but this isn't the sort of movie that cries out to be seen. As diversions go, it's mostly pleasant, and I suppose there's nothing terribly wrong with that.  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
Joaquin Phoenix, giving a delicate, passionate performance, heroically rescues this film about the daily lives of firefighters.--Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)
"Ladder 49" comes across as a public service announcement, or the firefighting equivalent of an Army recruitment commercial. But it's not a movie that engages you deeper than its heart-on-the-sleeve emotions. Sure, there are touching moments. These actors are professionals. But even the best scenes feel canned, secondhand, packaged. We've seen this all before.--Desson Thomson (Washington Post)
If you want entertainment, this film has more than enough action for an evening. If you want something meaningful, try watching Backdraft or Rescue Me. C--Craig Younkin (Lee's Movie Info)
‘Ladder 49’ starts out on good terms but goes down in flames more and more as the film progresses.  --Joe Rickey (Movie-Gurus.com)
If you like dramas that lead with the heart more than the head, Ladder 49 is an emotional ride, showcasing the ups and downs, the good and the bad.  --Vince Leo (Qwipster.net)
Ladder 49 is pure, unadulterated Hollywood schmaltz from start to finish - and yet the film remains kind of entertaining, albeit in a guilty pleasure sort of way.--David Nusair (Reel Film Reviews)
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| Directed by |
Jay Russell
My Dog Skip, Tuck Everlasting, End of the Line |
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| Written by |
Lewis Colick
October Sky, Domestic Disturbance, Beyond the Sea |
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| Music By |
William Ross
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Tin Cup, Look Who's Talking Now |
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The risks firefighters take, like the sacrifices they make every day, are all too real. They deserve our thanks, our respect and infinitely better movie treatment than this.  --Rick Kisonak (MovieWeb)
Ladder 49 is a movie that is true to itself and knows where its heart should be. It functions both as a tale of life and one of the miraculous city firefighters who put their necks on the line each and every day, to save lives (mind my cheesy phrasing). I didn’t expect that I would ever be saying this, but, as far as the fall movie season is concerned, this motion picture leads the pack.  --Danny Baldwin (BucketReviews.com)
I think I like where it all winds up. The more I consider it, the more it makes sense, the more it feels like an appropriate resolution for the film. Phoenix's performance is probably the most sympathetic and likable of his career. If the film loses itself midstream, forgetting where it's going and which paths it needs to take to get there, Phoenix saves it with equal parts heroism and humanity. B--Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com)
I liked this film. It's nothing extraordinary, it essentially follows the standard rule-book when it comes to movies of the sort, introducing us to the "rookie" among the veterans, showing us all of the pranks they play on him, how things get "serious" after a while, the job becomes more of the focus, etc and so forth. 7/10--'JoBlo' (JoBlo.com)
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