Milkduds

Ladder 49 (6/10)

April 10th, 2005

Ladder 49 starring Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta is a slightly original movie about the life of a firefighter, but full of cliches. The movie is really just one big flashback of the life of Jack Morrison (Phoenix) as he waits to get rescued from a large factory fire by his fellow firemen.

I think if you were or are close to someone that works as a firefighter (or even police), then you will be very touched by this movie. The reason is because of the good job this movie does with developing the character of Jack and getting the audience attached to him. This is why I think this movie stands out from other firefighting movies that I’ve seen. There aren’t any mysteries, corruption, or arsonists to catch. It is simply about the life of a public servant and why he is driven to do his job. There is also plenty of the typical action you’d expect to see. Unfortunatlely, “typical” might be the word to describe most of rest of the movie. There a lot of the cliches that go along with being a rookie and being a firefighter. But, overall, the acting and story was decent.

Entry Filed under: Movies