Film Reviews

Ladder 49

• Rating:
• Director: Jay Russell.
• Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett, Robert Patrick, Morris Chestnut, Billy Burke, Balthazar Getty.
• Details: US/ 115 mins/ (12A)

Told mostly in flashback, Ladder 49 recounts the story of Baltimore fireman Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix). Desperate to prove himself to his colleagues, Morrison uses every opportunity to put himself on the line in the course of duty. In the early stages of the film, Jack enters a burning warehouse to rescue a punter, only to become trapped himself. From here, stuck in the building, Jack sees his life in flashback - from his early days in the department under the leadership of Captain Mike Kennedy (Travolta, who looks like he's been at the pies again) right up to his present predicament. Though the shadow of 9-11 hangs heavily over Ladder 49, this action drama doesn't overplay it too much to be considered crass or overly manipulative. However, problems lie within the film's structure and its resolute detachment from the characters. With the narrative somewhat incidental and episodic, the film doesn't succeed in offering any real insight into what makes these men do what they do, or successfully articulate the trauma bubbling just beneath the surface of their lives. Instead what we get with Ladder 49 is a watchable if shallow thriller and one that concentrates too heavily on the fires and not the men who are fighting them.

Review by Garreth Murphy