Backdraft
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Movie Reviews of Backdraft
Movie Review: Terrific Action-Melodrama!
Summary: 5 Stars
Viewed in the context of a post 911 world, this terrific film directed by Ron Howard becomes even more meaningful as a detailed portrait of the lives and lifestyles of a group of Chicago firemen trying to come to terms with as series of violet arson/murders plaguing the metropolitan landscape. And, given Kurt Russell's appeal as an action hero, this gorgeously filmed epic take on the look and feel of a travelogue into a fiery Hell! The cast is uniformly superb, ranging from Russell as the older brother whose intimidating presence is so troubling for William Baldwin, who is trying to join what amounts to the family business, and one their hero father died in the line of duty participating in. Also terrific here is Scott Glenn as one of the senior firemen on Russell's squad, and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Baldwin's long-lost love now working for an ambitious local city council member. Robert DeNiro appears as an eclectic and somewhat iconoclastic specialist trying to piece together the forensic evidence, and Donald Sutherland makes a cameo as a Looney-tunes firebug who absolutely thrills at the sight, smells and sounds of the backdraft. And of course, the quite lovely Rebecca DeMornay does an interesting turn as Russell's estranged wife, trying to come to terms with how to live either with or without him.
The story is quite absorbing, as are the series of vignettes bringing us deep into the world of the individual firemen. As a result, we come to quickly care about what happens to these characters as they suit up and slip down the pole to the waiting fire-truck, en route to yet another inferno. The drama works very well, and the action sequences are both realistic and spectacular, and the way the characters are developed and presented adds immeasurably to the story line. This is one sure to stir up your juices and get you going. This one get two thumbs way up! Enjoy!
Movie Review: My favorite Howard's film!
Summary: 5 Stars
From the initial shots of this picture you can feel the sincere attitude of not letting
fold by the twists of fate. Two brothers fighting even harder than his father did it when died fighting against the fire. They never will get back and reach their goals with this proposal. Going to the last consequences.
Interesting film even for all those Industrial Engineering and firemen aspirants: the film underneath the conventional premises explores many interesting aspects of the combustion process, few times focused in previous films. Kurt Russell to my mind has never been in the screen like this time. He played an absolute role and if I may I would say this was the most celebrated role of his career. He became in a model, leaving behind the rest of the cast as actors. That was the excellence of his performance.
Obviously Howard made a very well film , superbly built and detailed with shocking scenes loaded of dramatic realism. Jennifer Jason Leigh made the worst performance in her career, absolute anodyne and no transcendent. I don't know what it was going on with her in this role but you feel a certain disengagement with her role.
Movie Review: Great Story, Great Effects...
Summary: 5 Stars
Backdraft is the story of two feuding brothers tryng to keep the legacy of the McCaffrey fire fighting clan going. Steven (Kurt Russell) does a suberb job as the leutinunt of station 17 in Chicago. He has a more succesful job as a fireman than his brother Brian (William Balwin). Baldwin, does an outstanding job as well as his older brother. Brian quit fire once and decides to try it one more time. He ends up quitting halfway thru the movie. Detective Rimgale does what i think is the best job of any actor in Backdraft. His role played by Robert DeNiro is to find out whether the fire is natural or arson. Donald Suthrland, although not in it too much, does a great job playing phsycho, Ronald Bartel. Ronald helps Brian find the killer. John "Axe" Adcox is played by Scott Glenn. He does a fine job as the senior fireman. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays Jennifer, Brian's girlfriend. She could've done a better job playing her role. Rebecca DeMornay plays Steven's ex-wife. She does not appear a whole lot. Fire is the main character in this film. It has awe-inspiring special effects and some of the most amazing fire scenes ever caught on tape.Movie Review: This movie is fiery excellent.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my second favorite movie behind T2 Judgement Day from 1991. The movie is the story of a firefighting department with two firefighting brothers who have throughout their lives been at odds with each otehr. However, their distant relations have been put to the test when a string of fires caused by arson attacks pop up all over the ghettos of Chicago.
Even worse is that the department is being deprived of funds by a sleazy bureucratic alderman and it's an unplesant and dangerous twist of turns as they find out whose responsible for the string of arson induced fires.
William Baldwin and Kurt Russell are absolutley fabulous playing the often clashing McCaffrey bothers as they fight numerous fires and face off against a 'beast' that burns along the walls and ceilings of the rooms.
The fiery special effects are just magnificent and makes this movie even better.
This is a truly magnificant movie. The DVD offers nothing new other than excellent improvement in quality over the VHS. By far one of the best movies of 1991.
Movie Review: Backdraft
Summary: 5 Stars
Brian McCaffrey's father's a fireman and he was there, as a child, when his father died. When he grew he tried to be a fireman but quit and left town and for a few years tried other jobs. He would eventually return and try to be fireman again. However, he finds himself working under his brother Stephen whom he doesn't exactly have a good relationship with. When Brian gets his picture in the paper and is lauded as a hero when in fact it was a mistake, a politician offers him a job working under the department's arson investigator, Donald Rimgale. It seems that Ringale is working some unusual fires wherein someone is killed. Brian initially refuses but when he has too many confrontations with Stephen, he takes the job. And he gets a lesson on what it means to be a fireman. Ron Howard did a wonderful job of bringing some of the real-life problems that firefighters face everyday in Backdraft. Very realistic, well directed, excellent movie.