the Mind’s Chew Toy

Ladder 49 has gotten rave reviews from the people who matter: firefighters who live out this film every day of their lives. That says a lot about a film, if the people who it’s based on give it rave reviews. That’s what first got me interested in checking out this film - not it’s box office grosses, not star John Travolta - nope, it was the approval of firefighters across the country.

That being said, I was still a little wary about seeing it for one reason - Joaquin Phoenix. If you’ve seen any of the movies he’s starred in (including the recently released The Village), you’ll know what I’m talking about. But, despite his lackluster performances so far, I still wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, other stars I haven’t liked have surprised me (Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and Jamie Foxx in Ray, among others). So, would Joaquin actually be able to finally become the actor everyone keeps pretending he is, or would Ladder 49 survive in spite of him?

Sadly, Joaquin (yet again) failed to impress. As the lead character, you think he would be able to step it up a notch - unfortunately, there apparently aren’t any notches in his acting talent. His typical dour expression is evident throughout - not changing even when his character celebrates the happiest events of his life (fighting his first fire, getting married, having a baby, etc.). His sad face turns supposed happy moments into jokes - his wedding turns from a joyful event to the viewer wondering if the film will be all about his marriage falling apart, since he has such a sad expression on his face at this supposedly happy time in his life. Fighting his first fire you can see the dour expression lift just a little bit - but not for long. Still, that’s a huge step for him (I believe it’s the first time I’ve seen him without it, even for a second).

Aside from another disappointing performance by Joaquin (quit man - you suck), the other characters gave very heartfelt performances. John Travolta gives a very sincere performance as the Captain of the team, leading his men by example - whether it be through the fires or needling the rookies. Robert Patrick (he was the T-1000 in T2, remember?) , is basically the Grinch of the team (tough exterior, but he does have a heart buried in there), but evolves quite a bit throughout the film - showing there is life for non-Arnold Terminators after their heyday (keep that in mind, T3’s Kristanna Loken). Morris Chestnut and the rest of the firefighting team also deliver good performances, helping save this film from Joaquin’s lack of acting skill.

The plot was interesting, especially after all the interest in firefighters after the 9/11 tragedy (yes, that is mentioned here, but only in a deleted scene). That really helped spark interest in the film, I’m sure. They were probably smart to use Maryland firefighters instead of New York, as most people are still very sensitive about that tragic event, and that might bring the film a little too close to home for some. Still, seeing the day to day lives of these everyday heroes is interesting, as they are the real-life equivalent of the superheroes from the comics (think about it- they rush into burning buildings to save people - much like a Superman or Spider-Man would do. The only difference? They don’t have any superpowers - just courage and a sense of duty).

Ladder 49 does have it’s faults, unfortunately. Most of the story is told through the use of flashbacks, which always seems like the easy way out to most viewers. Rather than keeping the plot moving in one direction, they throw the viewer through background loops every once in a while, then come back to the present. It gets kind of annoying - after all, you want to see how the present turns out. The background info becomes somewhat of a nuisance, since it pauses the current storyline you want to see finished. It’s kinda like watching a TV program you really enjoy, which every so often cuts back to a previous episode. Annoying, right? Unfortunately, this director thought it was the best way to present events. It’s just too bad he wasn’t able to switch it up a bit.

The special effects are very well done. When a firefighter is running into the burning building, the viewer is right there with them every step of the way. The smoke is dense, the fire burning so violently the viewer can almost feel the heat - every little nuance is covered, and the effect is impressive. After waging through that fire right along with the characters, the viewer will be happy there is a little downtime in-between fires, so it gives them a chance to cool down along with the characters. The special effects really enhance the camraderie the viewer will feel for the characters, making the viewer that much more involved.

So, while Joaquin should quit acting, he doesn’t bring down Ladder 49 much. While his performance (or lack thereof) does detract from the film, the other characters seem to step it up a little to make up for it. Add in a subject matter that most people have a high interest in at the moment, and special effects so realistic you can almost feel the heat from the fire, and it makes for a decent film. True, the overuse of flashbacks did bring the movie down a bit, but not enough to bring this film down in flames.