The problem with this film is that it's hardly a film, more an extended promo for the American firemen. And any advertisement stretching on for two hours will always be a bit too hard to take. Of course, the intentions are honourable, driven as they are by the post-9/11 American spirit of hero-worshipping the firemen, but as a film it's dull, impersonal and cloyingly sentimental.
The questions the film asks are: "What does it take for a man to run into a burning building when everybody else is running out? Why do firemen leave their families each morning to risk their lives for strangers?" At the peril of sounding heartless, the basic answer is: it's a job, a job which ensures you get the all-important moolah to get on with life. But it's also about courage and dignity—virtues the film goes out of the way to celebrate.
Trust Hollywood to try and create drama in the most banal of situations. ninety per cent of the time they do succeed. Ladder 49 is an illustration of the 10 per cent when they go wrong. The film starts off with a firefighting operation in which Baltimore fireman Jack Morrison (Phoenix) finds himself badly trapped. In between the rescue operations and while his life hangs in balance, we are taken on a series of flashbacks through Jack's life. From the point that he starts off as a rookie to becoming a veteran in dealing with blazes. The dating, the marriage, the family, the kids, the struggle to cope with the demanding job, the fears of his wife and kids, even death, gets more than a mention. The brotherly bonding between the men at the firehouse is interesting. The funny pranks, the crazy jokes and the intermittent conflicts are nice but don't get fully explored. It's a film swathed in white with no sign of the shade of black. Every single person you encounter in the two hours is not just a nice guy but a very, very nice guy—simple, strong and earnest. Phoenix gets a wee too sentimental while Travolta, as his mentor and boss, seems to be holding himself back a bit too much. All in all, you are left uninvolved. Wonder if such a subject would have worked much better as a full-blooded documentary or as a TV series.
Indian Top 5
1. Balle Balle
2. Dhoom
3. Tauba Tauba
4. Hatya, the Murder
5. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi
US Top 5
1. Shark Tale
2. Friday Night Lights
3. Team America: World Police
4. Shall We Dance?
5. Ladder 49
Courtesy: Film Information
