No heat in Ladder 49

Ladder 49

Director: Jay Russell

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Robert Patrick, Billy Burke, Balthazar Getty, Morris Chestnut, Jacinda Barrett

Cert: 15.

We are being invaded by firemen, what with a new drama starting on Sky and this film.

Firemen, like cops, always - or usually - make for good drama, but in this disappointing film the characters have been left largely unexplored and the emphasis placed too heavily on the fires.

We would rather, arguably, get to know more about the men who do this dangerous work, but mostly we get fires.

The devise of putting the central character (Phoenix) in a burning building and allowing him to review his life in flashback doesn’t come off.

We are still left wondering what makes everybody in the film tick.

Star Rating: 3/5