MOVIEmeter
Top 5000
Down 997 this week

Ladder 49 (2004)

6.4
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 6.4/10 from 37,933 users   Metascore: 47/100
Reviews: 317 user | 120 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy, probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads,... See full summary »

Director:

Writer:

Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 2652 titles created 11 months ago
 
a list of 52 titles created 22 Feb 2011
 
a list of 821 titles created 10 months ago
 
a list of 490 titles created 23 Nov 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Ladder 49 (2004)

Ladder 49 (2004) on IMDb 6.4/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Ladder 49.
1 win & 6 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

The Recruit (2003)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

A brilliant young CIA trainee is asked by his mentor to help find a mole in the Agency.

Director: Roger Donaldson
Stars: Al Pacino, Colin Farrell, Bridget Moynahan
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

A lawyer becomes a target by a corrupt politician and his NSA goons when he accidentally receives key evidence to a serious politically motivated crime.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight
Unstoppable (2010)
Action | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson
Body of Lies (2008)
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

A CIA agent on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisors and Jordon Intelligence.

Director: Ridley Scott
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
The Kingdom (2007)
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.

Director: Peter Berg
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A court-martialed general rallies together 1200 inmates to rise against the corrupt system that put him away.

Director: Rod Lurie
Stars: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

CIA analyst Jack Ryan must thwart the plans of a terrorist faction that threatens to induce a catastrophic conflict between the United States and Russia's newly elected president by detonating a nuclear weapon at a football game in Baltimore.

Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Stars: Ian Mongrain, Russell Bobbitt, Morgan Freeman
Air Force One (1997)
Action | Adventure | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

Hijackers seize the plane carrying the President of the United States and his family, but he (an ex-soldier) works from hiding to defeat them.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan couldn't save Kennedy, but he's determined not to let a clever assassin take out this president.

Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Stars: Clint Eastwood, John Malkovich, Rene Russo
The Mechanic (2011)
Action | Crime | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

Follows an elite hit man as he teaches his trade to an apprentice who has a connection to one of his previous victims.

Director: Simon West
Stars: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn
Crimson Tide (1995)
Action | Drama | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

On a US nuclear missile sub, a young first officer stages a mutiny to prevent his trigger happy captain from launching his missiles before confirming his orders to do so.

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Matt Craven
Volcano (1997)
Action | Drama | Sci-Fi
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.3/10 X  

A volcano erupts in downtown L.A., threatening to destroy the city.

Director: Mick Jackson
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Anne Heche, Gaby Hoffmann
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Steve Maye ...
...
Ed Reilly (as Robert Logan Lewis)
...
Spencer Berglund ...
Edit

Storyline

Under the watchful eye of his mentor Captain Mike Kennedy, probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. And as he reflects on his life, now Assistant Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A bond forged by fire is never broken. See more »

Genres:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for intense fire and rescue situations, and for language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Official Sites:

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 October 2004 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Brigada 49  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$119,211 (South Africa) (11 February 2005)

Gross:

$74,540,762 (USA) (18 February 2005)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

| |

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen Lang was initially a top candidate for the supporting role of Captain, he was in the midst of playing a fire captain in 'Jim Simpson''s "The Guys" in the Flea Theatre. However he lost out once John Travolta expressed interest in the project. See more »

Goofs

After Jack saves the girl from the fire, another firefighter points out a bleeding wound on his head. When Jack walks into the church later that night, the wound has vanished completely. See more »

Quotes

Lenny Richter: Why does it always have to be the 12th floor? Why cant they be on the 4th?
See more »

Connections

Edited into Underdog (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

"If I Should Fall from Grace with God"
Written by Shane MacGowan
Performed by The Pogues
Courtesy of Warner Music U.K. Ltd.
By Arrangement with Warner Strategic Marketing
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

A Nutshell Review: Ladder 49
26 November 2004 | by (Singapore) – See all my reviews

First, let me explain the movie title.

The firehouse featured in the movie has 2 vehicles. One of them is the more conventional fire truck you see around, the one with the water hoses. That truck is codenamed Engine 33 in this movie. Ladder 49 is its companion truck, the one with the mega-ladder. This truck comprises of the brave men in the fire department's rescue team, those who risk their lives going into burning buildings without water (unlike Engine 33's), for the sole mission of saving other people's lives.

Which raises the question everyone asks of emergency responders (police, fire dept, etc) - what makes them do what they do? In this case, also raised in the movie, what makes them rush into a burning building when everyone else is running out?

We follow the life of Joaquin Phoenix's character, Jack Morrison, whom we see from rookie firefighter (waterboy) to hero, from singlehood to fatherhood. This film, through his character, humanizes emergency responders, their lives, their camaraderie, their courage. It also explores relationships within their families, which is key, as family members struggle to understand the risks their spouses/fathers undertake everyday in their job.

Don't expect another Backdraft, which was more of an "arson-whodunnit", with spectacular beastly fires engulfing the screen. This film dwells more on characterization and drama, with well placed action set pieces between slow moments which will set you thinking, and at the end of the film, appreciating the courage of these brave men and the threats they face daily in their job.


124 of 177 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
5 SADDEST Movies you have ever seen!! YoullNeverSeeMeAgain
Backdraft or Ladder49? agvph58
To complement firefighters out there... mouse__07
Linda Morrison cetta-1
Firefighters Alone? Jeff180
About Ray... texmexmartin
Discuss Ladder 49 (2004) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page