Subscribers! Add a note to this movie and/or put it into one of your private movie lists.
Notes:
The story of a man's drive to join the brotherhood of firefighters and his first encounter with the woman who will become the love of his life; to the harrowing shifts that keep him from home, the conflicting emotions that grip him as he starts a family and the bold rescues that are the job's true reward.
Action Drama - This is a drama with lots of different emotions. It starts out light
and fun, it turns suspenseful and serious and eventually very sad.
It also has several feel-good moments and some romance and it shows
the love and respect firefighters have for each other.
PROFANITY: 3 GD's, 1 F-word, 6 S-words. Several others. SEX/NUDITY: An unmarried couple wake up in bed together. VIOLENCE: None DRUGS/ALCOHOL: Quite a bit of after work drinking in a bar. ACTION: They fight several intense fires. COMEDY: Nearly a dozen chuckles and three big laughs.
The above rating is an average of the critic reviews below.
(Close new window when finished with Full Reviews)
Berardinelli, Internet CriticFull Review Above Average 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.
Roger EbertFull Review Very Good The best compliment I can pay "Ladder 49" is to say that it left me feeling thoughtful and sad. I was surprised it had such an effect. I walked in expecting an action picture with heroic firemen charging into burning buildings for last-minute rescues. "Ladder 49" has the heroes and the fires and the rescues, but it's not really about them. It's about character, and about the kind of man who risks his life for a living. And it's about work, about what kind of a job it is to be a fireman.
Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.
Be sure to read the
DETAILED OPINIONS
The positive and negative comments made by moviegoers are very
helpful when selecting a movie that's appropriate for you and your family.
OPINION OVERVIEW The following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.
Moviegoer Opinions:
We collected 233 moviegoer opinions. WOW! Outstanding Opinions! Nearly three-quarters rated it "Fantastic" or "Excellent" and no one rated it below "Good." Opinions just don't get much better than this. DON'T MISS "LADDER 49"!
Aren't you glad you found Cinema Review? If you relied on the opinions of professional movie critic's they would have you believe that "Ladder 49" is just an average to below average movie. The only critic that agrees with our moviegoers is Roger Ebert and this isn't the first time.
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 indelible memories as he waits for his own rescue.
