Backdraft

Starring: Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert DeNiro, J.T. Walsh, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca DeMornay, Clint Howard
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
Box Office: $77,868,585
1991

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: Two brothers (Kurt Russell and William Baldwin) have always been at odds since their firefighter father died in the line of duty years ago. Now, both are working as firefighters in the same department. However, when their relationship turns sour, one brother leaves and joins a veteran fire inspector (Robert DeNiro) trying to catch a serial arsonist.

Review:

Tim: Ron Howard has created arguably the greatest fire fighting movie ever made. The fire sequences are unbelievably intense. In a stroke of genius, Howard has the fire as a living entity- you can hear it scream and gasp. Fire is treated with the utmost fear and respect, and this creates an interesting environment for the film.

Howard also enlists an incredible cast. Kurt Russell headlines the film- has he ever been more heroic in this film? He plays a gruff character, but gives an outstanding performance. William Baldwin works well as his younger brother and is surprisingly very good himself. When William Baldwin brings his A-game, you know you're going to have a pretty decent film. Robert DeNiro is involved in some of the best scenes of the film as he tries to solve the arsonist spree. His respect for fires lends a sense of awe to the entire film. His performance is crucial to the success of hte movie.

I have mentioned this already, but the point needs to be stressed- Howard is a genius for his scenes showing the fire as a breathing, living creature. The firefighters all seem to be fighting a creature that must be killed, not some intangible entity that must be "put out." The fires here don't get put out- they get killed... or they will kill.

I highly recommend this film. Backdraft is about as intense as films get, has a stellar cast, and the fire scenes will blow you away. Ron Howard directs a pretty incredble motion picture.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8.5



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