There is enough action to keep the younger audiences looking for the quick rush occupied while enough firemen running around in tight t-shirts to keep the women equally transfixed. We learn how the firemen bond, how they drink together rather heavily and regularly and how when they lose one of their own, the emotional impact on them and their families Don't get me wrong, all the above drama plays out while buildings burn, people are rescued from skyscrapers and people are saved from what would be sheer death if not for the charging brave souls of the local Fire Department. We see Jack as he enters the fire hall for the first time and meets Captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) who takes the new probie under his wing and over the years develops a bond that includes being there when Jack gets married, has kids and steps into the shoes of a search and rescue firefighter who perishes when a roof gives way during a routine house fire. As Jack lays there helpless awaiting the rescue from his peers, we are sent back in time via the Hollywood standard flashback to understand what brought Jack to his present peril. Lead by seasoned veteran Jack Morrison (Pheonix), the firemen are able to rescue a helpless employee before the floor gives way trapping Morrison within the building inferno. Ladder 49 starts with a fire in a large Baltimore factory where multiple firemen have charged to look for survivors and extinguish the posing threat. Now, in 2004, red-hot Joaquin Pheonix and John Travolta have teamed up to bring us the highly effective Ladder 49. In 2002, Anthony LaPaglia and Sigourney Weaver played a firefighter and a writer to prepare eulogies for those fallen in the attacks in The Guys. It is not surprising therefore that our newly energized interest was translated into big screen emotional powerhouses.
On CNN we began to hear stories of the personal lives of these men. Immediately after the tragic events, it was not uncommon to see people wave or salute firefighters in the most remote regions of our country. Although the loss of lives that day included thousands of innocents, we warmed to our heroes and it brought their efforts and incredible bravado back to our attention. On September 11, we watched in awe as the buildings collapsed and 340 firefighters were taken from us prematurely. It is a courage that most of us would like to think we have, but few of us are ever put into a position to test. They put their lives on the line to save others. They run into burning buildings while everyone else is running out. Firefighters have always been held in high regard. To say that our impression of firefighters changed that day sounds, well, awkward. This was before Kurt Russell figured that Captain Ron might a good idea, and most importantly, this was before September 11, 2001. This was before Howard went on to direct such popular fare as Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind. It was thirteen years ago that Ron Howard's ode to firefighters hit theaters with 1991's Backdraft.
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