JOAQUIN PHOENIX and JOHN TRAVOLTA head the cast of this tribute to heroism and the men who risk their lives every day. And in this post-9/11 world where we remember the men entering the twin buildings that collapsed, this well made film is a nice tribute.
Straight-forward in approach, it's a solid piece of story telling when it deals with the working routine and firehouse lifestyle that these men are trained to perform, reminiscent of Ron Howard's BACKDRAFT thirteen years ago. But unfortunately, it bogs down and settles for the routine when it comes to the romantic angle outside the firehouse, beginning with a casual pick-up in the food market.
Opening sequence is a cliff-hanger with Phoenix losing his grip during an explosion and falling. Then the flashback begins with him as the new rookie at the firehouse where JOHN TRAVOLTA is the Captain. Whenever the story deals with the attempt by his firemen buddies to reach him after his fall from structural collapse of the 12th floor, it reaches really authentic heights of realism. Unfortunately, the flashbacks into Phoenix's early days on the job are less than illuminating, going for easy jokes and pick-up situations, so that the plot has its own structural collapse in all sections not dealing with his immediate plight.
The carefree moments feature the rowdy pranks in the firehouse and the tavern scenes with further hi-jinks, but each such scene is back-to-back with the drama of collapsing roofs and sudden death, which makes them buddies in an extended family. I didn't expect the downbeat ending but it does add to the film's realistic treatment of the subject matter.
Summing up: Good performances, but all of the authentic fire and rescue scenes are the payoff for a rather routine backstory.
Straight-forward in approach, it's a solid piece of story telling when it deals with the working routine and firehouse lifestyle that these men are trained to perform, reminiscent of Ron Howard's BACKDRAFT thirteen years ago. But unfortunately, it bogs down and settles for the routine when it comes to the romantic angle outside the firehouse, beginning with a casual pick-up in the food market.
Opening sequence is a cliff-hanger with Phoenix losing his grip during an explosion and falling. Then the flashback begins with him as the new rookie at the firehouse where JOHN TRAVOLTA is the Captain. Whenever the story deals with the attempt by his firemen buddies to reach him after his fall from structural collapse of the 12th floor, it reaches really authentic heights of realism. Unfortunately, the flashbacks into Phoenix's early days on the job are less than illuminating, going for easy jokes and pick-up situations, so that the plot has its own structural collapse in all sections not dealing with his immediate plight.
The carefree moments feature the rowdy pranks in the firehouse and the tavern scenes with further hi-jinks, but each such scene is back-to-back with the drama of collapsing roofs and sudden death, which makes them buddies in an extended family. I didn't expect the downbeat ending but it does add to the film's realistic treatment of the subject matter.
Summing up: Good performances, but all of the authentic fire and rescue scenes are the payoff for a rather routine backstory.