neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Ladder 49
	Jay Russell Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Jacinda Barrett, Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Balthazar Getty, Jay Hernandez, Billy Burke, Tim Guinee, Kevin Daniels, Kevin Chapman 2004		A movie that was surely green-lit in the aftermath of 9/11, "Ladder 49" follows the brave, all-too-human, sometimes vulnerable firemen of a Baltimore firehouse as they go through their courageous daily tasks. It's mostly boilerplate — the stuff of cable movies. You have super-earnest rookie fireman-on-a-mission Jack Morrison, played by puppy-dog eager Joaquin Phoenix. And here comes Jack's mentor, Chief Mike Kennedy, played by John Travolta, who nimbly sidles through the role of this tough, fearless leader of men with a warm heart and a one-of-the-guys sense of humor. There's the valiant, humble African-American fireman (Morris Chestnut), the valiant, borderline unsavory white fireman (Robert Patrick), and a bunch of other valiant, less defined firemen (Balthazar Getty, Jay Hernandez, etc.) who fill out the roster. The message is a familiar one these days: Firefighting is a dirty, dangerous, life-threatening job, but someone's gotta do it — and a lot of gutsy, heroic someones do. To show the toll that the profession takes on family and friends, the script introduces an attractive neighborhood babe (Jacinda Barrett) to hook up with Jack, then become his wife and the mother of his children. Like Phoenix, Barrett brings as much feeling to the project as can be expected, given its agenda and its easy-to-forecast course. At least the action sequences are suitably harrowing.


	Friday, April 19, 2024





	Search Neumu: