What Do The Critics Say?

"A profile in everyday courage, the common denominator of men who fight fires for a living, choosing to go into buildings that other people are trying to get out of." Jack Mathews, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS "... draws us steadily into its warm core with a sense these are real people, who might be sleeping or carousing down at the neighborhood firehouse." Mark Collette TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH TEXAS "Offers audiences a real rarity in theaters these days: a good, honest cry." Ann Hornaday, WASHINGTON POST "A dramatic tribute to the men who put their lives at risk in order to save those in danger." Michael Elliott MOVIE PARABLES "A most earnest film, projecting an uncommon decency and courage among its characters that'll impress most viewers, save for the more cynical." Jack Garner ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE

"If you have ever wanted to see what a real firefighter goes though in their life, then check out this film." Stefan Halley HERO REALM "...a film that will likely stand as the great Hollywood tribute to urban firefighters..." Daniel M Kimmel WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE "Tender, moving and insightful." Donald Munro FRESNO BEE "... does a wonderful job of showing life in that firehouse." Richard Roeper EBERT & ROEPER "You will see some outstanding fire fighting sequences along with a glimpse at the lives of firemen in the building as well as family life at home." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM

At A Glance

"A formulaic but enjoyable action drama ... undeniably well acted and staged." Craig Roush KINNOPIO'S MOVIE REVIEWS

"I wanted to make a firefighting movie in an unsentimental, honest way that would celebrate the dignity and nobility of these guys,” producer Casey Silver states. "I was thinking of a film that would, at its core, be about characters and human emotions, but at the same time would capture the dramatic spectacle and suspense of firefighting. So with these ingredients in mind, I brought the idea to screenwriter Lewis Colick. I told Lewis I wanted to explore firefighters from an entirely new angle, not from the usual thriller or adventure perspective, but instead taking a very truthful, no-holds-barred view into their world. I asked him to go as far into the firefighters’ reality as possible and to focus on their families, not just as the wives who simply kiss their men goodbye, but as a central part of their lives, ambitions and motivation. The idea was to give a real sense of these two powerful families that sustain firefighters, their brothers on the job and their wives and children at home." Colick spent time doing extensive research on the subject of firemen [including their wives] by interviewing dozens of officers covering everything from their on the job routine, to their fears, wild stories and home life. Colick admits, "he was overwhelmed by the emotional nature of what he learned but the biggest challenge lay in searching for the best way to turn all he learned into one man’s story." That man is the films central character Captain Jack Morrison a former rookie who is taken under the wing of Ladder 49 station Captain Mike Kennedy who developes him into a top notch team player. "With Jack, I wanted to create a guy who would be symbolic of a certain kind of fireman I got to know; a good-hearted family man who loves his friends, loves his wife, but when that bell rings is ready to risk it all, no matter what, to save somebody he doesn’t even know," says Colick. His research had given him a real insight into the life of a fireman in the time between fighting fires. "Creating Jack gave me a chance to reveal what a fireman’s life is really like," he said. "Because a lot of it is just waiting around for a fire, playing games, pulling pranks, shooting the breeze, but then it’s punctuated by these highly dramatic events that can change other people’s lives and effect you forever. I thought having Jack look back on his life would give us a chance to tell a lot of the great stories I heard about of life-altering fires and near-miraculous rescues. It was also a chance to have him look back at why he became a fireman in the first place, what it means to him, and most of all, how he has managed to juxtapose the incredible risk of a deadly job with his family-centered personal life." Colick revealed that even while writing the screenplay he still kept researching his subject, learning a whole lot more with each opportunity. "I honestly believe that a lot of these guys are just born or raised a certain way that give them this an unshakeable feeling that they just want to do good in this world. It’s an inspiring thing to see first-hand. At the same time, they’re also husbands and dads and buddies just like the rest of us. They’re definitely not somber people who sit around being grave and serious, they love to have a good time and they also make mistakes and have very typical problems. They love to have a good time and party and spend time just being with their families. I wanted to get across some of their fun spirit, some of their difficulties dealing with the pressure of the job, but also show that when the bell rings, everything changes for these guys and they become life-savers." Armed with so many facts Colick saw another opportunity by incorporating the family life of firefighters. The effect it has on married life and in doing so "revealing the bittersweet family side of fire-fighters" lives. That lead to the creation of the character Linda Morrison played by Australian actress Jacinda Barrett. "While the firehouse often becomes a tight-knit 'second family' for many of its men, Colick also wanted to celebrate the rarely revealed and far quieter heroism of the women and children who watch their husbands and fathers walk out the door every morning, never quite certain they will return," he explained. Colick's screenplay was 'discovered' by director Jay Russell who says he "couldn’t put it down and stayed up half the night reading and thinking about the lives of firemen. I was really moved," he recalls. “I was touched not only by the subject matter but especially by the lives of these characters who you come to know and who really mean something to you by the end." After reading Colick's script, Russell was determined to direct the film. He was inspired and truly wanted to do something "with a distinctly emotional and intimate style not usually seen in firefighting movies. I really wanted to bring these characters to life," he says, "and I wanted to take the audience into authentic fires like they’ve never been taken into fire before. I wanted to capture not just the look of a fire, but the intensity, the fear and the amazing things the people do to battle them and save innocent civilians." Both men have achieved their goals. Colick's script is one full of revelation and takes us into the most intimate moments in a firefighters life. Russell's direction and motivation has produced a film which is an emotion and uplifting experience, and while it may not please every critic, it does give great weight to the wonderful job not only American firefighters do, but fire officers all over the world. What They Had To Say Veteran Baltimore firefighter Mark Yant .....
"What impressed me about John Travolta is that he was so interested in every aspect of firefighting and asked me so many questions from ‘how would you hold this hose; to ‘how would you say this to your men?’ He made me feel so at ease. I simply told him stories of things I’d heard or done myself and let him choose how to use them for his performance."
John Travolta .....
"The one thing I wanted to capture about Kennedy is that he’s the one who ultimately has to be in charge," says Travolta."He has to carry that burden of knowing whatever it is he says is going to be taken to heart, and the in the end he’ll be responsible for men’s lives. It’s a lonely job and one that take its toll, even though it has its wonderful moments and rewards."
Joaquin Phoenix .....
"I was impressed that the film was so much about family, because I think the families of firefighters are as much the heroes as the men and women in the field fighting fires. They experience virtually everything the firefighters do, both the glory and the tragedy. And I think what "Ladder 49" shows it that it takes a lot of very special, very strong people to allow these guys to do what they do."
Jacinda Barrett .....
"When I read the script it really resonated with me. Linda seemed so real to me because I know that most of the women who marry firefighters are really proud of their husbands, and they love the life for the most part, but that it definitely isn’t easy." Fire Camp Training John Travolta .....
"Fire camp was whole new universe of experience but my absolute least favorite part was The Maze. It’s very claustrophobic, not something I’d ever like to do again. Still, I did find it extraordinary and life-changing in a way, because it really alters your perspective and gives you a chance to experience pure instinct."
Jay Hernandez .....
It was incredible to be right next to real fire. We’ve all seen it before on the news, but to be right up close, so close our helmet visors were melting, that’s a whole different thing."
Joaquin Phoenix .....
"I wanted to be comfortable in real-life situations. But then, after seeing the real thing, my one fear became whether or not the production would be able to re-create realistic fires on the screen. Fire is such an organic, unpredictable thing, how real could the effects be? The fires they created felt like the real thing and allowed all of us to create something very true in our performances."
Veteran Baltimore firefighter Mark Yant .....
"The one person involved in "Ladder 49" who trained the hardest was Joaquin Phoenix, who actually graduated with the Baltimore Fire Academy class he joined in the winter. He went on to serve with a west Baltimore truck company for a month, working his appointed shifts and responding to real alarms, fires and rescues. By that time, I couldn’t tell Joaquin from a regular fireman on the street. The guy has just got it. He fell right into the mode and I’m sure if he wanted to do that line of work he’d make out quite well." Crew Bytes "LADDER 49" was .......
directed by 2001 Broadcast Film Critics Award winner Jay Russell ["My Dog Skip" and "Tuck Everlasting"]; screenplay by Humanitas Award winner Lewis Colick ["October Sky", "Ghost of Mississippi", "Unlawful Entry" and "Hardball"]; costume design by Renee Ehrlich Kalfus ["Dead Man Walking", "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?", "Chocolat", "The Shipping News" and "The Life of David Gale"]; production design by BAFTA Award winner Tim Burrough ["Richard III", "Santa Clause 2", "A Knight's Tale" and "Tuck Everlasting"]; edited by Bud Smith A.C.E ["The Exorcist", "Flashdance", "The Karate Kid", "Gross Anatomy" and "Darkman"]; director of photograhpy James L Carter ASC ["My Dog Skip", "Tuck Everlasting", "Phoenix" and "Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III"]; soundtrack mixed by BAFTA Award winner Kirk Franvis C.A.S ["L.A. Confidential", "Mr. Holland's Opus", "Bull Durham" and "The Bourne Supremacy"]; stunts co-ordinated by George Aguilar ["The Siege", "Batman Forever", "Gangs Of New York", "Tuck Everlasting" and "Daredevil"] and produced by Casey Silver ["Babe", "Fried Green Tomatoes", "Casper", "Backdraft", "Apollo 13", "Shakespeare in Love" and "Schindler's List"]. Casting About "LADDER 49" stars .......
Joaquin Phoenix ["Gladiator", "Quills", "Signs" and "The Village"]; GOLDEN Globe and Britannia Award winner John Travolta ["Pulp Fiction", "Get Shorty", "Primary Colors", "Face/Off" and "Michael"]; Robert Patrick ["Terminator 2: Judgment Day", "Charlie’s Angels 2: Full Throttle", "Copland" and "All The Pretty Horses"]; Morris Chestnut ["Boyz in the Hood", "Like Mike", "The Killing Yard" and "Confidence"]; Billy Burke ["Lost Junction", "Along Came a Spider", "Without Limits" and "To Cross the Rubicon"]; Balthazar Getty ["Traffic", "Slingshot", "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Natural Born Killers"]; Tim Guinee ["Personal Velocity", "Blade", "How to Make an American Quilt" and "The Doors"]; Kevin Daniels ["Kate and Leopold", "John Henry" and "Hollywood Homicide"]; Jay Hernandez ["Crazy/Beautiful", "The Rookie", "Torque" and "Friday Night Lights"]; Kevin Chapman ["In The Bedroom", "The Cider House Rules", "Mystic River" and "21 Grams"] and Jacinda Barrett ["Campfire Tales", "Art House", "The Human Stain" and "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason"] as Linda Morrison. The Story

The film's opening was also particularly well manufactured, with just the right amount of tension and believability, as were all of the other "action" fire sequences." .... Berge Garabedian JOBLO'S MOVIE REVIEWS

Baltimore Fire Department Captain Jack Morrison and the crew of Ladder 49 are fighting a major fire in a multi-storied building and searching for anyone who may have been trapped by the fire. Never known to leave any stone unturned Jack manages to get the last person to safety before the floor collapses under him sending him plunging downwards. When his former Captain and now Fire Chief, Mike Kennedy hears that Jack is trapped somewhere in the rubble and hasn't been found an all out race against time swings into action as the fire gets another grip on the building. Maintaining radio contact Chief Kennedy encourages Jack to hang on as his crew frantically tunnel through the rubble in a rescue attempt. Badly injured Jack lapses in and out on conciousness recalling moments from his first day at the fire station as a rookie, through his marriage to Linda, the birth of their children and the loss of fellow serving officers on previous fires. The Verdict "The research, training and hard work everyone put into making "Ladder 49" pays off for cinema fans of big drama's. A very entertaining look at the life of fire officers who all over the world put their lives on the line, serving the public. A genuine tribute that will keep you guessing right up to the end. As always Travolta is solid. He plays the elderstatesman, the father figure well in "Ladder 49" but, in this film, it is the younger cast members who grasp centre stage. Joaquin Phoenix continues on up the ladder of success ably supported by aussie actress Jacinda Barrett. Plenty of fire and flashbacks make "Ladder 49" an entertaining experience. Certainly worth recommending." The Cast

Joaquin Phoenix John Travolta Jacinda Barrett Robert Patrick Morris Chestnut Billy Burke Balthazar Getty Tim Guinee Kevin Chapman Jay Hernandez Kevin Daniels Steve Maye Robert Logan Lewis Brooke Hamlin Spencer Berglund Karen Vicks Desiree Care Deidra LaWan Starnes Peggy Cafferty Marja Allen Leslie Lyles Robert Keiper Robert McKay Mark Yant Richard Pilcher John Lumia Lynn Filusch Robert O'Neill

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Jack Morrison Captain Mike Kennedy Linda Morrison Lenny Richter Tommy Drake Dennis Gauquin Ray Gauquin Tony Corrigan Frank Mckinny Keith Perez Don Miller Pete Lamb Ed Reilly Katie Morrison Nicky Morrison Opal Maria Marlene Drake Julia Margarita Roseleen Morrison Kevin Morrison Battalion Chief Lt Yant P I O Fire captain Female Paramedic Father Hogan

The Crew Directed by Jay Russell Written by Lewis Colick Produced by Casey Silver Original Music by William Ross Cinematography by James L Carter Film Editing by Bud S Smith & M Scott Smith Casting by Nancy Foy Production Design by Tony Burrough Set Decoration by Maggie Martin Costume Design by Renee Ehrlich Kalfus Unit Production Management Amy Herman Run Time 115 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Touchstone Pictures & Buena Vista International - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved