Ladder 49

Unabashed love letter to firefighters everywhere.

Heartfelt, predictable, and finally surprisingly poignant.

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.

A serviceable testament to the firemen who would bravely risk their lives to protect the safety of others, etc., etc.

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.

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.

Except for Jack no one else in the film is very well defined, and it often falls back onto types. The actors are good, and make the best of what they've got, but what they've got is very thin.

A fairly routine firefighter drama, with burning-building sequences that more or less all look alike.