Into the Fire

This was a most difficult story to understand and even after watching it twice I still didn't understand it. It was like an inside joke known only to those making the movie. For example the hero, who is a police lieutenant, gets into trouble but viewers are never told what he got into trouble for. This is a problem from beginning to the end. The ending just leaves the viewer hanging. There is a story which if properly told, could make for a good movie, but that wasn't case here. Part of the problem is that frequently the dialog is poorly written and the actors and actresses frequently mumble their lines which makes the story even harder to understand.

Very sad story about Aundria but, I could not watch the character of her biological mother when she spoke. She had this righteous way about her that hard to watch. I muted her each time she talked.

The overall story was very upsetting about the horrible tragedies of the woman and felt so sad for Kathleen's Aunt. Her emotions were genuine with real emotions but, Aundria's biological mother's reactions and pompousness were the reason for the low rating. Too bad there wasn't a way to minimize her role in the movie or coach her to sound genuinely sad for her daughter. That guy will never see the light of day without bars to see through!

The New York City Harbor Patrol's jurisdiction lives where the concrete ends and the water begins.

Walter Hartwig Jr., a man to whom the unit represents his family and life, is the Lieutenant in charge ON THIS NIGHT. As a jumbo jet crashes on final approach into Kennedy, Walter's tragic past seeps through his soul, causing him to lose. everything.

Catrina Hampton is a music teacher at a Manhattan grade school. Her twin sister Sabrina, always a nudge better than she, had just performed with the London Symphony. a dream they had shared as children. ON THIS NIGHT, Catrina awaits the return of Sabrina, her one guarantee that she would never be alone.

June Sickles is a beautiful woman, embodied by an even more auspicious spirit. She lives and breathes every day with the truth of having lost her firefighter son on 9-11 and now lives with her granddaughter Quinn, whom he left behind. They live in a quaint house on a quiet street in Brooklyn, not far from the very firehouse that her boy called home.

On a night like any other, tragedy will strike. ON THIS NIGHT, these three souls will not simply intersect, but collide, initiating their inevitable dance with the divine.

A lot of the comments here about this movie seem to be of confusion. A second viewing should be attempted with other movie fans. That's how I viewed it. The movie requires some hand holding to fill in the blanks, that's the beauty of it. I don't know if that was a deliberate intention by the film maker, but I would like to think so. I know most like to have a movie played out before them without any effort to think needed, this movie is definitely not that kind of flix. Just reading some comments I can tell some have missed scenes or dialog. June was not just found because of low sugar levels. She has her own demons...a re-viewing my see them. Their relationship has very little to do with her son, but a need for a mother and a need for a son at a perfect intersection of lives. I believe everything you need to fill in the blanks are in the film. Sitting back and letting the story unfold before you in an simplistic straight forward time-line is not going to happen, a little effort on the viewers behalf is needed. I believe this is the intention of the film maker....BRAVO! to him

Still blaming himself for the deaths of his sister and mother decades ago, lieutenant Walter Harwig (Flanery) of the NYC harbor unit, is encased in a life of sadness. While on duty investigating a plane crash, Harwig breaks down after discovering a dead body of a woman, and as a result is dismissed from duty. Now having lost the only thing with meaning in his life and being consumed by deep, abiding depression, Harwig will by fate meet two other individuals (Williams and Kanakaredes) whose lives are also rooted with misfortune. Together they will learn that the true meaning of life lies not in tragedy but in celebration.

The premise is real and story is believable and moving. There was a quote that stuck with me after the film was over. It was about living a life of celebration because it's the balance of living a life of tragedy on the same spectrum. Most of the themes in the movie revolve around similar issues, including reincarnation. Though, at times the story is slow and the conflict is confusing. I wasn't sure if this was a story about love or self-forgiveness until well into the second act. However, the cast is exceptional. Portraying the antagonist and protagonist, Sean Patrick Flanery's (Powder) performance was true, honest, engaging and his best work to date. Both Melina Kanakareses (CSI: NY) and JoBeth Williams (Poltergeist) supported Flannery and excelled the dramatic themes.

Aesthetics. Well done. Portrayed mostly hand-held, 'documentary style', its photography and production design are up to par with most of today's Hollywood pictures. The film was shot on 35mm with sharp color contrasts and at locations across New York City and Coney Island. The musical score is original and adds drama to the film without distracting the viewer from the story.

Review by, Darren R. Brandl