बैकड्राफ्ट

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.

Backdraft is a movie definitely worth watching from famous director Ron Howard who continues to show his skill as a filmmaker with this one. Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca De Mornay, and Robert De Niro are great in the movie bringing to life these believable characters we see on the screen. The rest of the cast are admirable in their small roles including J.T. Walsh, Jason Gedrick, and Donald Sutherland. Its better to watch this movie without knowing too much about it because if you do than you're going to be in for a heck of a movie experience. The film tells story of two brothers (Russell and Baldwin) in the fire department whose bond is tested as mysterious murders begin to occur by a dangerous arsonist on the loose. Backdraft is an excellent story about fire fighters with realistic action for the most part, suspense, some humor, and a little romance that make for an enjoyable movie to watch. The film did seem to drag a little near the end but its one flaw so the good more than outweighs the bad. If you're looking for an entertaining movie to watch that's worth your time and money then see Backdraft. You can't go wrong with this film. It's definitely one of Ron Howards best movies on par with Apollo 13 and A Beautitful Mind. It's really that good.

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.

Ron Howard did a wonderful job of bringing some of the real-life problems that firefighters face everyday in Backdraft. I'm kind of tired of hearing the Monday morning quarterbacks on this site trying to talk about how bad it was and that it wasn't realistic, etc. Take it from a REAL firefighter who has lost brothers in REAL fires and has lived through a REAL backdraft, it's NOT all fun and games, and it's far from glamourous. This movie did an excellent job capturing some of the emotions that flow through every firehouse in America today, particularly after 9/11, we are a brotherhood in which the "I go---we go" mentality is a very REAL concept that most of us live by everyday. And the corruption part of the story, well that's Hollywood for ya, if it doesn't have death, destruction, and corruption...then it doesn't sell very well. Yes there are corrupt politicians and it wouldn't surprise me if things like that did happen, but it's far from commonplace and was just to enhance the film and give you a person to "hate" in the film (JT Walsh, God rest his soul).

So I give it 4 out of 4 stars, very realistic, well directed, EXCELLENT acting on Kurt Russell and Robert DiNiro's parts, and can't wait til I find it on DVD to buy it.