Saturday Night Premiere: Ladder 49

Saturday, September 10, 2005

This week's Saturday night premiere is Ladder 49. This 2004 film premiered tonight on STARZ. The movie begins with fire fighter, "Jack Morrison," being trapped in an apartment building fire. The remainder of the film tells his life in flashback. From the first day on the job as a fire fighter until several years later. Scenes of the current day showing his fellow fire fighters trying to rescue him are shown throughout as well.

Ladder 49 gives the viewer a glimpse into what it is like to be a fire fighter. The fires shown in the movie were real. The actors performed some seriously scary stunts during the movie - propelling off the roof of a building just being one of those stunts. Before filming, Joaquin Phoenix, the actor behind the character of Jack, was even scared of heights. A fear he had to overcome during filming.

During this film, we see how the fire fighters deal with their jobs. We see death and destruction through their eyes and the eyes of their families. Each and every time a fire fighter goes out on a call, there is a chance they might not come home.

Fire fighters are typically the first to appear on the scene when something happens. They are the ones that go in to assess situations. When it comes to a fire, they go in and do what they can to stop the blaze. Fire is not predictable. You never know what might happen during one. Fire moves fast and hot, burning whatever it touches with no remorse.

This lesson was learned by the actors during the film as well. John Travolta, "Captain Mike Kennedy," speaks of an incident in an interview played by Starz during the film's credits. He neglected to put on gloves during one of the scenes filmed with Phoenix, and when John grabbed his coat, his hands were burned by the metal buttons on it.

This movie is quite a tear-jerker. I found myself moved to tears during a few scenes. The acting in it was superb, and this movie felt real. If you have a chance to see it on cable or as a rental, you will not regret seeing this film.

To check this movie out for yourself check the following retailers: J & R, Amazon or rent through Netflix.com.