Ladder 49

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2:25

Ladder 49

PG-13

2004

1h 54m

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

161 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

After saving the life of one of the civilians inside, firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself trapped in a burning warehouse with a broken leg. As his friend and mentor, Deputy Chief Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), tries to negotiate a rescue from without, Jack flashes back to various events in his life: the first, awkward days on the force, meeting the woman (Jacinda Barrett) who would become his wife and saving a small girl from a burning building.

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Critics Consensus

Instead of humanizing the firemen, the movie idolizes them, and thus renders them into cardboard characters.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

12/25/2010

4/5

Unabashed love letter to firefighters everywhere.

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Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

03/24/2005

B-

Heartfelt, predictable, and finally surprisingly poignant.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

10/06/2004

3/4

This day-in-the-life melodrama is a surprisingly good piece of work, and while it covers no new ground it certainly holds the attention.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 26

1.5/4

In an effort to elevate all these men to the level of heroes, the filmmakers have stripped them of most traits, in effect leaving us with a roomful of cardboard stand-ups.

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Eddie Harrison

The List

04/23/2019

2/5

Gail Gilchriest's witless script leaves Phoenix with little to do but flex his muscles, while Travolta rarely steps outside the realms of cliché in his role as a supposed mentor figure.

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Megan Basham

National Review

02/06/2018

If looked at as a tribute to our way of life, as opposed to an action blockbuster, it could resonate with audiences in a way no other film touching on the subject has to date.

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Joel H

@RT47793553 Jan 17

With a cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, and Robert Patrick, I expected a little more from Ladder 49. Yes, there are some good dramatic scenes, but it feels more like a series of vignettes or a slice of life story about a group of firemen. I’m also not sure why they decided to frame the story the way they did, because it removed some of the tension at times. And while the fire scenes were thrilling, they started to feel repetitive as the plot rolled along. So even though Ladder 49 didn’t climb to the heights I expected it to, it does bring some awareness to the bravery of firefighters.

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Ed .

@RT01276001 Aug 22

I didn't really like this film overall, but give it credit for demonstrating just how powerfully central the church was in the lives and communities in this time period. If you 'religiously' went to the church your fellow neighbors did, and if you socialized with your neighbors, you wouldn't have much time to meet or socialize with people from other faiths or walks of life. Your world was smaller but tighter, for better in many ways and for worse in others.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jul 31

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom, e o drama ajudou um pouco a melhorar o filme.

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Andrew S

@RT74823133 07/02/2024

Coming from a family of firefighters this is one of the best firefighter movies of all time And I genuinely don’t understand the low rating As for me and my family it will always be one of the best and a true classics

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J C

@RT01630491 06/26/2024

So I've been a FF both career and volunteer for going on 16 years now. I was going through my fire academy and we all went to one of the guys houses to watch this movie and I fell in love even more woth the profession. The action scenes aren't perfect because a lot doesn't transfer to the big screen very well but the brotherhood and the moments between the guys, the personalities and the families is dead on. Everytime I watch movie this I fall in love all over again.

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03/03/2022

Great movie, it's no backdraft but its an awesome film.

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Jay Russell

Director

Joaquin Phoenix

Jack Morrison

John Travolta

Chief Kennedy

Jacinda Barrett

Linda Morrison

Robert Patrick

Lenny Richter

Morris Chestnut

Tommy Drake

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Ladder 49: Trailer 1

2:25

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Synopsis

After saving the life of one of the civilians inside, firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) finds himself trapped in a burning warehouse with a broken leg. As his friend and mentor, Deputy Chief Mike Kennedy (John Travolta), tries to negotiate a rescue from without, Jack flashes back to various events in his life: the first, awkward days on the force, meeting the woman (Jacinda Barrett) who would become his wife and saving a small girl from a burning building.

Director: Jay Russell
Producer: Casey Silver
Screenwriter: Lewis Colick
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Beacon Communications, Touchstone Pictures, Fantail Films Inc., Beacon Pictures, Casey Silver Productions
Rating: PG-13 (Language|Intense Fire/Rescue Situations)
Genre: Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $74.5M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)