In the aftermath of Sept. 11, where the heroism of firefighters became amply clear, a film such as "Ladder 49" makes sense. The film is less of a drama than a tribute -- an ode, even -- to the spirit and tenacity of firefighters. Its makers hardly bother to explore the lives or motives behind their actions.. Reviewed by Kurt Honeycut of the Hollywood Reporter

The firemen (in the film) are simply heroic, and the film is content to leave it at that.

Spread over more than a decade, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a dedicated fireman and John Travolta as his mentor/captain. With those two above the title, "Ladder 49" is poised to post average numbers at the boxoffice, appealing more to men than women, obviously. Nevertheless, the film is unique among studio releases in its avoidance of anything smacking of conflict. The film relies entirely on fires to provide tension. Otherwise, this band of brothers hangs out at the station, engaging in pranks and dwelling in a world of familial harmony and brotherly love. In other words, it's woefully short on drama.

As hokey as it was, "Backdraft," Ron Howard's 1991 tale of firefighting brothers, had a B-movie soul that permitted an interplay of jealousies and rivalries against the backdrop of horrific fires and derring-do. "Ladder 49" mutes even a whisper of fear or animosity. Would any Hollywood film tackle a police department, the military or any other such organization of skilled fighters without a dose of verisimilitude? The makers of "Ladder 49" insist that halos remain above its firemen/heroes, which is not the way to humanize them.

The story begins with a spectacular nighttime fire raging in a Baltimore warehouse. Fireman Jack Morrison (Phoenix), part of the search-and-rescue team, enters the building to look for victims trapped on the 12th floor. The team successfully rescues a man, but the floor beneath Jack collapses, hurling him deep into the smoldering caldron. Outside, Captain Mike Kennedy (Travolta) desperately strategizes to save his friend. The movie then flashes back and forth from this climatic sequence to trace Jack's life in the Baltimore Fire Department.

We learn that this particular engine company loves practical jokes, admires its sterling captain and shows up for all weddings, baptisms and birthday parties while always maintaining camaraderie. The courtship of John and his wife Linda (Jacinda Barrett) is treated with such decorum as to make James Stewart's wooing of Donna Reed in "It's a Wonderful Life" look downright racy.

This paradise on earth gets brutally interrupted, of course, by terrific fire sequences, which serve mostly to demonstrate the really bad things that can happen to firemen. Jack's first buddy, Dennis (Billy Burke), falls through a roof into a furnace. His next best buddy, Tommy (Morris Chestnut), gets blasted by scorching steam. Teaming with Lenny (Robert Patrick), Jack does win a heroism badge by rescuing a little girl.

Yet we get no sense of what's going on inside these heroes. How does it feel to save someone's life? Do they feel like gods? Do their egos ever get the better of them? Given the number of scenes set in an Irish tavern, are we to assume they drink to blunt the sorrows and fears?

Writer Lewis Colick reportedly spent days with firefighters, and director Jay Russell has a documentary background, which serve both men well in recording the routines and skills of their heroes. One gains an inkling of what such lives are about but not, unfortunately, what these characters are about.

Phoenix and Travolta do a fine job at portraying a mentorship that is really more of a friendship between men, who respect and admire one another without making a big deal out of it. The other actors make do with characters that lack dimension.

Cinematographer James L. Carter, visual effects supervisor Peter Donen and designer Tony Burrough perform extraordinary work in safely recreating the very dangerous-looking environments in which fireman often labor. William Ross provides a serviceable score, ranging from militaristic tones and sentimental asides to pulse-pounding beats.

LADDER 49
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures and Beacon Pictures present a Casey Silver production
Credits:
Director: Jay Russell
Screenwriter: Lewis Colick
Producer: Casey Silver
Executive producer: Armyan Bernstein, Marty Ewing
Director of photography: James L. Carter
Production designer: Tony Burrough
Music: William Ross
Costumes: Renee Ehrlich Kalfus
Editors: Bud Smith, Scott Smith.

Cast:
Jack Morrison: Joaquin Phoenix
Chief Kennedy: John Travolta
Linda: Jacinda Barrett
Lenny: Robert Patrick
Tommy: Morris Chestnut
Dennis: Billy Burke
Ray: Balthazar Getty
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 114 minutes