Reviewed by Peter Veugelaers © 2005
- Take a pot shot but be warned.

  Nearing death, his devoted wife and children have feared for his safety in perilous situations. Now, their fears are realised. He is a New York fire fighter imprisoned in a building ablaze. Will Jack Morrison’s service for the community end tragically? If he dies, will his dedicated service over ten years find favour with God?

 As if we didn’t know already – the gospel song playing on the soundtrack with the lyric, “shine your light on me”, and a Catholic priest uttering something about service on earth finding acceptance in heaven, well I’m sure he will enter the pearly gates. At least in Ladder 49 mode. Once everything is said and done here, where the hero’s trajectory is captured as mortality in masculine glory, you think to yourself this wasn’t a surprise.

 Taut in its patriotism but lacking in flair this fire fighting rescue drama could have been a whole lot better and which works only intermittently.

 It is the kind of movie which is not subtle in approach, which does not understate the heroics of New York fire fighters written before, according to imbd.com, terrorist attacks on the city. The lack of subtly is one of Ladder 49’s dramatic flaws because the lives of these brave people could have been better handled.

 It is played along parallel storylines with a meagre episodic plot involving the predicament of fire fighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) interspersed with flashbacks which recount his career from rookie status where rites of passage set a tone of comradely.

 Phoenix buoys the drama in this character centred piece with a sincere and empathetic performance and carries the human element well particularly in relationship with John Travolta and Lucinda Barrett (Morrison’s wife).

 John Travolta as his captain is charismatic, his father figure role held a lot of potential underused where subtle clues imply underpinning layers.

 Travolta’s performance is the key to his character’s understatement when he offers just enough of his character that more is itchingly present but undisclosed. Barrett is also good considering her sketchily written character, and these three actors believe in what they are doing.

 When involved with Phoenix’s character the emotional thrust of the film is drawing the viewer in as Morison has been recognised as a genuine family man in the midst of trouble. What will happen next? The expectation is to resolve the current crisis and so satisfy the viewer’s emotional involvement, but is nevertheless delayed gratification, and due because of the need for a script rewrite. In the middle, the movie descends into sentimentality and unnecessary material that diverts from the early emotional build up, losing its impetus.

 The screenplay by Lewis Colick held potential for a more effectual structuring and ordering of plot from what looks messy. It could have been shorter and polished with emphasis on developing Travolta’s character and some other minor role and so enhance the dramatics and characterisations. If I had my way, a major scene reconstruction please – the material is there, only rearrange it with appropriate alterations into a tightly structured effect.