20th Anniversary TLDR: Ladder 49 (2004)
I saw you on the news dangling from a rope!
Plot: Under the watchful eye of his mentor, Captain Mike Kennedy, probationary firefighter Jack Morrison matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. However, Jack has reached a crossroads 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.
Direction: Jay Russell (Tuck Everlasting, The Water Horse, and My Dog Skip - a movie you should skip if you have a dog!) does this. Emotion. Schmaltz. Melodrama. In a 2004 interview with Firehouse.com (the sandwich company's URL is FirehouseSubs.com, by the way), he said, "There's a very specific theme that runs through my movies, which is life is precious...and to appreciate every single day of it...death is a reality to all of us...so it's the appreciation of moments in life. That's a strong theme that I'm very interested in." Watch his movies and that's obvious.
Screenplay: Spoilers! Lewis Colick (October Sky, Domestic Disturbance) might as well have written a movie called The Life (and Death) of a Firefighter. From his lead character’s early days as a probie to his last mission, Colick makes sure to take advantage of every single cliche in the book. The early days and first fires, the wife that doesn't understand (the "Why aren't ya drinkin'? What arya...pregnant? trope), the kids who don't want to grow up without a father, to the "tell my family I love them" final moments. We get it all.
Performances: It's such an interesting choice for Joaquin Phoenix because he so rarely plays...normal people. I'm pretty sure I've seen Andy Serkis play more regular dudes. John Travolta is so good at his thing, but this isn't his thing. And I think I need to watch more Jacinda Barrett movies...
Cinematography: James L. Carter's work is largely serviceable, but there's one thing that just drove me up a wall. For exactly two seconds, during a shot where Joaquin slides down a fire pole, it switches from film stock to a POV shot on a shaky video camcorder. It sticks out like a sore thumb and if you've seen 28 Days Later (I haven't), you know how badly video quality from this time has aged.
Best exchange? Linda: Have you ever considered babysitting full time? Chief Kennedy: What do you think I do at the firehouse?
Fun fact #1: Looney's Pub is a real place in Baltimore! Well, it was. It's since closed. I never went. I wonder if they had Ladder 49 stuff on the walls...
Fun fact #2: Joaquin attended a Fire Academy in Baltimore to prepare for his role.
Imaginary accolade: Runner-Up, Best Baltimore Film/Television Program of 2004
Can you tell that, even though this movie is mediocre, I still dug it solely because they actually filmed in Baltimore? Yes, you can.
Everything is too long. Is it too long? 115 minutes is fine.
Rating: Can you tell that, even though this movie is mediocre, I still dug it solely because they actually filmed in Baltimore?
Credit: Plot synopsis from Letterboxd via TMDb.
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