Ladder 49

Last updated
Ladder 49
Ladder 49 poster.JPG
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jay Russell
Written by Lewis Colick
Produced by Casey Silver
Starring
Cinematography James L. Carter
Edited by
Music by William Ross
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • October 1, 2004 (2004-10-01)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million [1]
Box office$102.3 million [1]

Ladder 49 is a 2004 American disaster thriller film directed by Jay Russell and written by Lewis Colick. The film follows Baltimore firefighter Jack Morrison, who is trapped inside a warehouse fire, and his recollection of the events that got him to that point. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta, and was released on October 1, 2004. It received mixed reviews and grossed $102 million worldwide on $60 million budget.

Contents

Plot

Baltimore City firefighter Jack Morrison saves a man's life in a massive four-alarm fire in a 20-story concrete grain elevator/warehouse in the Canton waterfront neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. However, the grain stored in the warehouse explodes, causing Jack to fall through several floors and break his leg. The film follows the efforts of the other men in his unit, Ladder Company 49, led by the commands of Deputy Chief Mike Kennedy, Jack's mentor, to rescue him while Morrison tries to reach a safe area of the burning structure. Interspersed with the rescue efforts are a series of flashbacks showing how Jack joined the fire department, his first meeting (at a supermarket) with the woman who would eventually become his wife, his relationship with his children, and the bonds he formed and the trials and tribulations he endured with his fellow firefighters.

After graduating from the fire academy, Jack is sent to work on Baltimore City Fire Department (BCFD) Engine Company 33, in the busiest firehouse in the city. Quartered with Engine 33 is Ladder Company 49. On Engine 33, Jack learns the ropes of firefighting. He quickly becomes close friends with his fellow firefighters, including Mike, his Captain at the time. Jack's first fire takes place at a burning vacant rowhouse. Engine 33 and Ladder 49 respond and are the first companies on the scene. Jack and Mike enter the building with a hose line and tackle the blaze, with Jack on the nozzle of the hose. They quickly and triumphantly extinguish it.

After some time working on Engine 33, Jack arrives at the scene of another vacant rowhouse fire, where a fellow firefighter from Ladder 49, Dennis Gauquin dies after falling through the roof of a building. After a quarrel between the firefighters, the Captain tells them to stick together. Later, numerous firefighters attend Dennis's funeral. Jack decides, although it is more dangerous, to take his late friend's position as a "truckie", a search and rescue member on Ladder 49 by transferring to the Truck.

As the years go by, Jack suffers traumatic experiences from rescuing a man from the ledge of a burning high-rise building in Downtown Baltimore, and witnessing another friend and fellow firefighter from Ladder 49, Tommy Drake suffer severe burns following a steam explosion at an industrial building. He finds the work rewarding, but his wife worries about his safety and opposes the change. However, she eventually accepts his new role and even talks him out of taking an administrative position that Mike, who has become a Deputy Chief, offers him.

One Christmas Eve, Jack and the members of Engine 33 and Ladder 49 respond to a burning apartment building. Jack is able to rescue a young girl trapped in an engulfed apartment, but is briefly trapped himself before being rescued by a fellow Firefighter from Ladder 49, Leonard "Lenny" Richter. Both men receive the department's Medal of Valor for their actions.

Back at the grain building fire that opened the film, Jack's fellow firefighters are determined to rescue him, and Jack does his best to reach the only possible safe area, to which Mike directs him. However, upon reaching that room he sees that the only exit is cut off by raging flames. Out of air and with the heat intensifying, Jack realizes that his situation is hopeless. He radios Mike to pull his men back so that no one else gets killed or hurt while trying to rescue him, and accepts his fate. A devastated Mike reluctantly agrees and commands all rescue units to evacuate the building.

At Jack's funeral, Mike delivers an emotional eulogy in celebration of Jack's life, which inspires a standing ovation from friends and family in attendance. Jack's body is then borne to its resting place with full honors, on the back of Engine 33 in a classic fireman's funeral procession. The final scene has Mike and company en route to a call while he flashes back to Jack and his companion firefighters rushing to fires, then the final shot of Mike and Jack emerging from Jack's first ever burning building in triumph.

Cast

Songs

Robbie Robertson contributed the film's theme song, "Shine Your Light". He also composed an adagio for the end credits. The film also features "Love Sneakin' Up On You" by Bonnie Raitt, among others. [2]

Release

Home media

Ladder 49 was released on VHS and DVD on March 8, 2005 by Buena Vista Home Entertainment (under the Touchstone Home Entertainment label). [3] A Blu-ray version was released on February 13, 2007. [4]

Reception

Ladder 49 grossed $74,463,263 [5] at the US box office and $102,332,848 worldwide. [1]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 41% based on 164 reviews, and an average rating of 5.35/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Instead of humanizing the firemen, the movie idolizes them, and thus renders them into cardboard characters." [6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews. [7] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [8]

It received a rating of 3.5 out of 4 stars from Roger Ebert, who wrote: "The movie is not about a dying man whose life passes before his eyes, but about a man who saved a life and put himself in danger, and how he got to that place in his life, and what his life and family mean to him. Because it is attentive to these human elements, Ladder 49 draws from the action scenes instead of depending on them." [9]

Use in The Ricky Gervais Show

Starting in 2002, the film gained notoriety as a running gag on The Ricky Gervais Show . [10] A DVD copy of Ladder 49 frequently appears as a prize for winners of the quiz segment "Rockbusters" hosted by Karl Pilkington. The abundance of DVD copies and their unfavourability as rewards became a recurring joke on the program, [11] as co-host Stephen Merchant often remarked there were many copies "lying around the office". [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire engine</span> Emergency vehicle intended to put out fires

A fire engine or fire truck is a vehicle, usually a specially-designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water to an incident as well as carrying equipment for firefighting operations in a fire drill. Some fire engines have specialized functions, such as wildfire suppression and aircraft rescue and firefighting, and may also carry equipment for technical rescue.

<i>Emergency!</i> American television series

Emergency! is an American action-adventure medical drama television series jointly produced by Mark VII Limited and Universal Television. Debuting on NBC as a midseason replacement on January 15, 1972, replacing two situation comedy series, The Partners and The Good Life, it ran for a total of 122 episodes until May 28, 1977, with six additional two-hour television films during the next two years, 1978 and 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Fire Department</span> American municipal fire department

The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) is the full-service fire department of New York City, serving all five boroughs. The FDNY is responsible for providing Fire Suppression Services,Specialized Hazardous Materials Response Services,Emergency Medical Response Services and Specialized Technical Rescue Services in the entire city.

<i>Rescue Me</i> (American TV series) American firefighter comedy-drama TV series

Rescue Me is an American dramedy television series that aired on FX from July 21, 2004, to September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters.

<i>Londons Burning</i> (TV series) British television drama series (1986–2002)

London's Burning is a British television drama programme, produced by London Weekend Television for the ITV network. It was based on the 1986 TV movie of the same name, and focused on the lives of members of the London Fire Brigade, principally those of the Blue Watch, at the fictional Blackwall fire station. It began with the movie (pilot), broadcast on 7 December 1986. This was then followed by a total of 14 series, which ran from 20 February 1988 to 25 August 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Pilkington</span> English comedian and television personality (born 1972)

Karl Pilkington is an English presenter, actor, voice-artist, producer and author.

The Ricky Gervais Show is a comedy radio show in the United Kingdom starring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington, later adapted into a podcast and a television series. Although named after Gervais, it came to revolve mostly around the life and ideas of Karl Pilkington. The show started in August 2001 on Xfm, and aired in weekly periods for months at a time throughout 2002, 2003, 2004 and mid-2005. In November 2005, Guardian Unlimited offered the show as a podcast series of 12 shows. An animated series based on the podcast and adapted for television debuted for HBO in the United States and Channel 4 in the UK in 2010.

<i>Firestorm</i> (1998 film) 1998 American film

Firestorm is a 1998 American action thriller film directed by Dean Semler and starring Howie Long, Scott Glenn, William Forsythe, and Suzy Amis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francisco Fire Department</span> Provides fire and emergency medical services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.

The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) provides firefighting, hazardous materials response services, technical rescue services and emergency medical response services to the City and County of San Francisco, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire</span> Massachusetts abandoned building fatal fire (1999)

The Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire began on December 3, 1999, in a 93-year-old abandoned building at 266 Franklin Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. The fire was started accidentally some time between 4:30–5:45 pm by two homeless people who were squatting in the building and had knocked over a candle. They left the scene without reporting the fire. The 6-story building, previously used as a meat cold storage facility, had no windows above the ground floor and no fire detection or suppression systems. The fire, which started on the second story, burned undetected for 30–90 minutes.

<i>Firehouse Dog</i> 2007 American film

Firehouse Dog is a 2007 American family film produced by Regency Enterprises and distributed by 20th Century Fox. Directed by Todd Holland, it stars Josh Hutcherson, Bruce Greenwood, Dash Mihok, Steven Culp and Bill Nunn. It was released April 4, 2007, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Fire Department</span>

The Boston Fire Department provides fire services and first responder emergency medical services to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It also responds to such incidents as motor vehicle accidents, hazardous material spills, utility mishaps, floods, explosions, and construction accidents among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charleston Sofa Super Store fire</span> 2007 firefighter disaster in South Carolina, US

The Charleston Sofa Super Store fire was a devastating blaze that occurred on the evening of June 18, 2007, in Charleston, South Carolina, resulting in the deaths of nine firefighters. It was the deadliest firefighter disaster in the US since the September 11 attacks. The fire, which started in the loading dock of the furniture store, rapidly spread to the main showroom and warehouse, leading to a catastrophic structural collapse. Despite initial firefighting efforts and rescue attempts, the poor water supply and lack of fire sprinkler systems contributed to the tragedy. The site was cleared after the fire, and a new fire station was constructed nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Philadelphia Gulf refinery fire</span> Fire at refinery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A refinery owned by Gulf Oil Corporation in Philadelphia, located at Girard Point on the Schuylkill River in South Philadelphia, caught fire on Sunday, August 17, 1975. This incident grew into an 11-alarm fire, not brought under control until 24 hours later, and resulted in the death of eight firefighters of the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD), injuries to 14 other firefighters, and the loss of four PFD vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Knoxville Fire Department</span>

The Knoxville Fire Department is an ISO Class 2 department that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. The department is responsible for 104 square miles (270 km2) with over 190,000 residents.

<i>Fire with Fire</i> (2012 film) 2012 American action thriller film

Fire with Fire is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by David Barrett starring Josh Duhamel, Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio and Rosario Dawson. Duhamel plays a firefighter forced to confront a neo-Nazi murderer. The film was released direct-to-video on DVD and Blu-ray on November 6, 2012.

On the evening of December 27, 1983, firefighters in Buffalo, New York responded to a call regarding a propane gas leak. Shortly after their arrival, the propane ignited, leveling a warehouse and causing a wide swath of damage. Five firefighters and two civilians were killed in the blast, and left dozens more injured. The event remains the largest single day loss of life for the Buffalo Fire Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Fire Department</span> Fire department in Massachusetts, USA

The Worcester Fire Department (WFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. The department serves an area of 39 square miles (100 km2) with a population of 183,000 residents.

<i>Burn</i> (2012 film) Film by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez

BURN: One Year on the Frontlines of the Battle to Save Detroit is a 2012 American documentary film, produced and directed by Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez. It focuses on Engine Company 50 of the Detroit Fire Department, and the city of Detroit as it faces an economic collapse and rising arson and fire rates. The film was executive produced by Denis Leary and Jim Serpico through their production company, Apostle, as well as Steve Tihanyi and Morgan Neville.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Ladder 49 (2004)". The Numbers . Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  2. allmusic.com: Ladder 49 soundtrack album
  3. Patrizio, Andy (December 1, 2004). "Ladder 49 due March 8". IGN. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  4. "Buena Vista Home Entertainment Unveils Blu-ray Slate for 2007".
  5. "Ladder 49". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  6. "Ladder 49 (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  7. "Ladder 49 reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2008-06-26.
  8. "Ladder 49 – CinemaScore". CinemaScore .
  9. Roger Ebert (2004-10-01). "Ladder 49". Chicago Sun Times.
  10. Taylor, Tom. "Exploring the cultural oddity of the Ricky Gervais Show XFM phenomenon". Far Out. Published June 25, 2022. Accessed April 12, 2023.
  11. "The Ricky Gervais Show on XFM - 07/05/2005". XFM Radio. Broadcast July 5, 2005. Transcript on Scrimpton.
  12. "The Complete Rockbusters (Compilation with Karl Pilkington, Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant)". Uploaded to YouTube November 7, 2016. Accessed April 12, 2023.