I thought it was going to be a Backdraft ripoff as well. I was surprised to see that it wasn't. The setting is very similar to Backdraft, but the story does not involve the conspiracy element that Backdraft had. I felt Ladder was way more real than Backdraft and gives the audience a taste of what families of firefighters who lost their lives in 911 went through. Damn good flick with an ending that I sort of didn't expect.
the movie was okay....expecept
Spoiler:
the fact that he died is REALLY pointless! the whole movie shows you his life and leads to you thinking he'll make it. and then...he is irrevocably killed. i wonder if it wasn't just a pretext to have something to play that great melody on. 😛...shine your light!
SPOILER ALERT
If you look back and see how they edited the film, you can see how the character ends up. It was more of a story about his life than story about fireman. Also, the use of flashbacks seems to showcase his life and the light and the end of the tunnel.
I thought it was sad because I really enjoyed the relationships between his character and his wife and his mentor.
Good movie but with a really cheesy song at the end.
Surprised so few people commented on the film. My girlfriend and I watched it this evening, naturally, we, too, thought it was pretty damn sad, especially given the appreciation you come to have for Jack Morrison and his gang. Powerful stuff, a little long, but I appreciated the angle from which it was approached, beginning with the end, and the story development. Not that I am/was a firefighter, but they look to have captured the brotherhood and camaraderie of firefighters extremely well.
Of the 3 firefighter movies I've seen, this is probably second, next to "Backdraft" and painfully far ahead of Howie Long's uber-ripoff of the aforementioned flick, "Firestorm".
Jacinda Barrett was awesome. It was funny when I first started watching, I was like, "That's that Australian chick from The Real World: London, Jacinda!" She's come a long way, obviously.
Originally posted by Primitive Screwhead
I dunno... after seeing the previews in the theaters this summer, all I can think of is "Backdraft ripoff".
i think people are too quick to call a firefighter movie a backdraft ripoff. I think backdraft was better then this, but ladder 49 was still pretty good and it wasnt really a ripoff at all.. just cause the plot revolves around firefighters doesnt mean its the same movie...