The trailers for Ladder 49 only tell half the story. When I first saw the trailer it looked as if it was a straightforward action film, what we actually get is something much, much more. What we get is a thoughtful, touching, exciting mix of action and drama.
We pick up the story right in the middle of the action. A tall industrial building is on fire and Joaquin Phoenix's Jack is right in the thick of things with compatriots looking for survivors. Before you know it, the floor caves in underneath Jack and he is plunged down into the burning building, all while saving one of those trapped in the flames. Meanwhile, John Travolta's Kennedy arrives on the scene an orders the crew back in to search for Jack. Jack regains consciousness, and suddenly we are thrown back to Jack's first day on the job.
The first thing that struck me was the structure of the film, intercutting between the present day and the years leading up to this moment. We get to see these firefighters in good times and bad, we see lives saved, we see friends hurt or die, we see them in their personal lives, struggling to keep marriages together. The focus of course, is Jack. We watch him having pranks pulled on him by the house veterans, drinking with the guys after work. We are also with him when he meets his future wife, and when he has his children.
What steps this above the ranks of mere action film are these moments where we see him struggling with the reconciliation of job and family. We know he loves his job and will put his life on the line to do it, we also know he loves his family and is scared by the idea of getting badly hurt or getting killed. We see the strain it puts on his wife. All the while we see the work being done to extricate him from the burning building.
This could easily have devolved into a big action fest with the flames threatening at every turn, but Jay Hernandez does a great job of keeping it focused on the characters. Not once are we taken away from what they are going through, despite the impressive firefighting work, we know what the importance is here.
The acting is also excellent. Joaquin Phoenix has more than made up for the misstep that was The Village. Here, we see him grow from sheepish rookie, to an experienced firefighter, from a child into a loving family man. A performance that is dynamic and changes subtlety over the course of the movie. John Travolta is also good in a supporting role as the fire chief, and Jack's mentor. The rest of the supporting cast, including Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, and Balthazar Getty all play important roles as Jack's co-workers, none of which is left out. No matter how little screentime they had, we could get a the impression of a full character from them, not just window dressing. Not to be left out, Jacinda Barrett as Linda, see is anything but window dressing, playing a pivotal role in Jack's development.
Bottomline. The end result is a film that steps outside of the preconceptions that you may have going in. Fine acting performances all around, good direction pulling it all together. An interesting structure provides a nice framework to hang the heart of the story on. Not to mention that it goes in a direction I was not expecting.
Highly Recommended.
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