Backdraft

Backdraft, proves once again, that Ron Howard is one of Hollywood's major contenders. This time around he explores fire through technical wizardry.

The movie itself is a tad bit overdone, story wise, but the effects are absolutely astonishing. And the acting, by mostly everyone is fabulous. It takes a lot to outdo Robert De Niro, but Kurt Russell manages to do so, especially in the end sequence. And even better, William Baldwin shows he can act.

Rating = 8 of 10

Holy 90s Batman! I've never seen this one before but good lord it feels so much like Top Gun for fire fighters. Backdraft comes fully loaded with machismo, overdramatic montages and a soundtrack with ridiculous music that tries to emotionally blackmail you into the feels. That said... I kinda dig it. Kurt Russel is quite possibly the most underrated action star of all time. In a world of Schwarzeneggers and Stallones running through jungles, both vegetative and concrete, with their massive, glistening physiques we also have Kurt Russel doing insane movies that really let his personality shine.

That seems endemic of Backdraft by the way. This movie is bonkers but it's a lot of fun. Also, when we are practically drowning in a sea of police movies and procedural dramas it's oddly refreshing to see fire fighters represented, problems and all. Again, it's far from a perfect movie but absolutely one I think is worth checking out and enjoying. Just be ready for some crazy.

Oh, also? The cast on this is insane. It feels like they got everyone in Hollywood to be part of this movie and they actually balanced it really well. For instance, De Niro is in this but he's actually a pretty small role and never takes over the movie, and we all know he could. But this is a who's who of 90s talent and that so often doesn't work but it does here.

Ron Howard's "Backdraft" is a true blockbuster in the 90's mold. Star-studded and full of spectacle, it did good business in 1991 while garnering mildly positive reviews. It was apparently remembered fondly enough to warrant a straight-to-video sequel earlier this year which, to it's credit, at least brought back William Baldwin & Donald Sutherland.

As for the original movie, the story is set in Chicago and it focuses on a pair of firefighting brothers (Kurt Russell & William Baldwin). The older brother is a seasoned vet while the younger brother is a rookie who has previously tried and failed at other professions. The two butt heads repeatedly as they work towards bringing an arsonist to justice.

There's plenty of action here but also a strong mystery angle as well. This provides a welcome change of pace when it kicks in about an hour into the movie. Generally, the script is pretty overwrought most of the time with the story often veering into melodrama and action movie clichés. However, the plot is fairly satisfying in the end, with a twist that's better executed than most.

Arguably the movie's biggest asset is its nicely assembled cast. Aside from Russell & Baldwin as the aforementioned brothers, a critical role belongs to Robert De Niro as an arson investigator. He unsurprisingly delivered the movie's best performance, despite the role being fairly limited. Donald Sutherland also makes a memorable appearance as an incarcerated pyromaniac. Other notable supporting players include Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Jennifer Jason Leigh & the always dependable character actor J.T. Walsh. As for Russell & Baldwin, I wouldn't call this one of my favourite Kurt Russell roles but William Baldwin was surprisingly capable, considering that his career never really developed like his older brother Alec's.

The other strong point of the movie is the visual effects and stunt work. It must have been an insurance nightmare to achieve these kinds of visuals in the days before widespread CGI. There's no substitute for the real thing when dealing with fire, so the results speak for themselves. The movie justifiably landed a few Oscar nominations for both its visual effects and sound, which demonstrates the expertise that went into the technical aspects of the production. Overall, Ron Howard's direction is quite capable with a mix of dramatic scenes and multiple action setpieces. I will say, though, that the bookending songs by Bruce Hornsby & the Range haven't aged too well in my opinion. They're no "The Way It Is", that's for sure.

In the end, "Backdraft" is a bit overblown at 2 hours and 17 minutes. The producers were probably aiming for something a bit more intimate than "The Towering Inferno" but they ended up falling into some of the same traps anyway. So, I wouldn't count this among Howard's best but it's still worth watching, particularly given relatively small number of worthwhile firefighter movies.

It's weird to think that when I went to see "Home Alone" in the theaters, "Backdraft" was advertised right before the movie came on. The whole thing is a little grimmer than we usually expect from Ron Howard. It focuses on mutually hostile brothers Stephen (Kurt Russell) and Brian McCaffrey (William Baldwin), both firefighters in Chicago having to put aside their differences to fight an arson outbreak.

True, it doesn't really sound like much of a plot, but Howard knows how to keep everything going. Stephen is the sort of guy with a bad attitude whom you can't help but respect. Brian mainly shows that there was once a time when Alec Baldwin's brothers could act. As for the climax, that is really something that is likely to shock you royally. But don't get me wrong. This is a good movie. Maybe not any kind of masterpiece, but worth seeing nevertheless. Above all, it's not a disaster movie (the less said about "The Towering Inferno" the better). Also starring Robert DeNiro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca DeMornay and J.T. Walsh.

Although Backdraft got Oscar nominations for Best Sound and best visual and audio effects what drives this Ron Howard film is the performances he got from Kurt Russell and Billy Baldwin as the firefighting McCaffrey brothers.

The brothers have a lot of distance in their ages as Russell practically raised McCaffrey after their firefighter father was killed on the job. Baldwin realizes he has a big legacy with the Chicago Fire Department and he's hesitant about it. After some issues with Russell, Baldwin gets assigned to arson investigator Robert DeNiro.

Which gets Baldwin involved in DeNiro's investigation of some strange arson fires that were set to Backdraft and cause homicides and there is a connection between three seemingly unrelated deaths.

The fire effects were great and the location shooting in Chicago a definite plus. Backdraft is the kind of a film you just cannot make on a studio back-lot which 50 years ago it would have been.

I'm surprised some Oscar nominations didn't come for either Russell or Baldwin. Their performances are so good you forget they're actors and you think you are watching firefighting drama.

And Donald Sutherland's bit role as the Hannibal the Cannibal of arsonists is one you'll remember. He has two scenes, one with DeNiro at a parole hearing and later one with Baldwin as Baldwin seeks expert opinion on the arsonist's technique. In that scene Sutherland evokes Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter when FBI agent Jodie Foster seeks his expertise.

And this review is dedicated to all the firefighters all over the world who take on that terribly important job to protect citizens from flame. After watching Backdraft you might get an insight into why the ancient cave people worshiped this phenomenon.