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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Gregory Widen (written by)
Release Date:
24 May 1991 (USA) more
Tagline:
One breath of oxygen and it explodes in a deadly rage. more
Plot:
Two Chicago firefighter brothers who don't get along have to work together while a dangerous arsonist is on the loose. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
What if William Baldwin Never Left 'Thelma & Louise'?
(From Cinematical. 28 September 2009, 2:15 PM, PDT)
Ron Howard Talks ‘The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft’
(From Screen Rant. 25 September 2009, 12:37 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Howard's film is solid, better than you think more (107 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Kurt Russell | ... | Stephen 'Bull' McCaffrey / Dennis McCaffrey |
 | William Baldwin | ... | Brian McCaffrey |
 | Robert De Niro | ... | Donald 'Shadow' Rimgale |
 | Donald Sutherland | ... | Ronald Bartel |
 | Jennifer Jason Leigh | ... | Jennifer Vaitkus |
 | Scott Glenn | ... | John 'Axe' Adcox |
 | Rebecca De Mornay | ... | Helen McCaffrey |
 | Jason Gedrick | ... | Tim Krizminski |
 | J.T. Walsh | ... | Alderman Marty Swayzak |
 | Anthony Mockus Sr. | ... | Chief John Fitzgerald (as Tony Mockus Sr.) |
| Cedric Young | ... | Grindle |
| Juan Ramírez | ... | Ray Santos |
| Kevin Casey | ... | Nightingale |
 | Jack McGee | ... | Schmidt |
| Mark Wheeler | ... | Pengelly |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language and a scene of sensuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
132 min | Canada:137 min (Ontario)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (QSound) (70 mm prints)
Certification:
Portugal:M/12 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The film's screenwriter, Gregory Widen, was a firefighter for three years before becoming a screenwriter. The film's basis is based upon the death of a friend in an actual backdraft. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When the ladder is crashing, it slides on the driver's side and then winds up crashing onto the Captain's side of the vehicle. more
Quotes:
Ricco, Pathologist: [to Brian in the morgue about picking up the burned body] Jesus Christ! He's not going to sell you insurance, pick him up! more
Soundtrack:
The Granuille Reels more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (107 total)
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Ron Howard's action/thriller about two brothers (Baldwin and Russell), who have some differences but need to work together to find out whose causing recent arson fires in their district. THe film is done well, good acting for the most part, brilliant direction, and a decent screenplay. I thought William Baldwin started out the first couple scenes with a bit of a constant smirk on his face, but his acting seemed to improve (or maybe grow on me), he gave a satisfying performance. Meanwhile Russell was solid as well as his older brother who is an old-fashioned bitter fireman who takes too many risks. The female performances were rather average, Jennifer Jason Leigh was decent as Jennifer a girl who helps Brian (Baldwin). Rebecca DeMornay is not so great as Steven (Russel)'s ex-wife. Robert DeNiro was great in his role as a fire department detective trying to solve the case. J.T. Walsh was also decent in his role, which was similar but expanded in F. Gary Gray's THe Negotiator. The best performance of the film came from Scott Glenn who was great as a firefighter known as "Axe". I haven't seen Ladder49, so this is my favorite firefighter movie as of now. The script had some problems, as it didn't flow well, but the actors managed to save it although i was particularly upset with one dialogue between jennifer jason leigh and william baldwin which seemed like a complete rip-off of the scene where Michael Corleone and Kay see each other again after Michael is back from Sicily in Godfather part 1. But for the most part the script was average, not bad, but saved by brilliant direction, solid acting and great action. The music was done very well and suited the film, props to Hans Zimmer for yet another great score. The cinematography was also very good, especially in the fire scenes, good job by Mikael Salomon. 8/10