Backdraft is a film that was made by Ron Howard back in 1991, in his attempt to show what it was like to be a Chicago fire-fighter of the time. The movie is a very moving jaunt into the lives of several firefighters, and the contacts that they have to the outside world. This was a groundbreaking film when it came to depicting fires, and how they were fought, and Howard does a great job of both showing how difficult it is to be a fireman, and at the same time paying homage to these people who risk their lives for us on a daily basis. The special effects are what help make the film spectacular to watch, and it is the type of film that sticks with you even after the credits have rolled at the end of the movie. In fact, the effects and sequences that were used were so good, that there ended up being an attraction at Universal Studios based on one.


Backdraft starts with a father taking his son on a firefighting call back in the 1960’s. He is the heroic type, who would not let anything stand in the way of him doing his job. That meant putting his life at risk even if it was not needed, or doing things that a normal person would not even consider. The first is at a high-rise apartment building in downtown Chicago, and it seems to be a normal call, with a not too troublesome first. They pull out the people that are inside, but towards the end something goes wrong. From the street level view you can see a gas leak working its way towards the firefighters in the last apartment, and it sets off an explosion. Just before the explosion the father pushes his partner out of the way of the impending fireball, saving his life. Unfortunately, it kills him in the process. From the street far below, Bring McCafferty (the son) watches in shock as this all takes place. With his father dead, he is immortalized on the cover of Life magazine, as a sad story without a happy ending.


The movie flashes forward several years as Brian is celebrating with several other rookie firefighters. They have just completed their training to be approved, and are awaiting their placements at the stations in the city of Chicago. We are given a quick glimpse into Brian’s past from the bartender who shows Brian all of the jobs he has tried to hold down over the past few years. It seems he is never able to stick with one thing, and in fact had gone through the fire academy once before and dropped out. This time though, he claims to be determined to see it through to the end, and we as an audience start to like the character. The young McCafferty is played by William Baldwin, in the only film that has seen him act with any kind of credibility. It turns out that Brian bribed the man who distributes the station selections with a case of scotch, and that he will be in the fire station of his choice. Enter his brother, who will have nothing to do with that.


Brians brother is Lieutenant Stephen McCaffrey (he goes by the nickname Bull), and he is played by none other than Kurt Russell. As the older brother, it appears he is both worried about his younger brother becoming a fireman, and feeling the pangs that exist as he surfaces as Brians father figure. The role is tough for Stepehen, but regardless of how tough, he wants Brian close by to watch over him. He too bribes the selector, but he does a better job of it, and has Brian stationed at the same firehouse that he is. This makes Brian upset to no end, as he feels that Stephen is trying to run his life. But, Stepehen gives as a reason that he does not want Brian skating by, and hanging back at fires instead of giving a full effort, because lives are at stake every day that they are on the job. Such is the relationship between the two brothers who seem to love each other, but on the surface have a lot of aggression towards each other.


As Brian is broken into his new role, the fire station starts dealing with a series of fires that seem to be arson set up by the same arsonist. Each fire seems to be created by a backdraft that is only focused on the victim that it is intended for. Once it has done its job, by exploding, the fire burns itself out quickly because of consuming too much oxygen too fast. It becomes clear to everyone that the victims are targets, rather than people who were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Enter Robert DeNiro as Lieutenant Donald Rimgale (Shadow), who is serving as the fire investigator in the arson cases. He is called shadow, because years ago he was in an accident, and was severely burned as a result of it. They talk about what happened to him later on in the film, but for now he is put on the case. He is assigned Brian to work with him by the mayor of the city, who wants the case to be solved very quickly and avoid any bad publicity that may come from it. At a loss of where to start, they go to the expert on arson, a former arsonist named Ronald Bartel that is in jail for the crimes he committed. Bartel is played by Donald Sutherland in a great role, which shows just how far he can stretch his acting skills. Bartel is an evil psychopath, but does end up helping out the investigators with their case.


With all of this going on in the movie at the same time, Howard even takes the time to develop the characters of Brian and Stephen outside of when they are fighting fires. Stephen has a wife, and a child, but in the past few years they have drifted apart, and now they live in separate places: her and the kid in the house, and him on a boat that he has been restoring. His willingness to risk his life in the fires is the main reason why she has had reservations in staying with him. He wants to come back, but has not figured out how to do it yet. Brian on the other hand, has an ex-girlfriend who now works in the mayors office. He too, would like to get back together, but it seems that their careers are heading in different directions, and she is not sure that she wants him back in her life. Stephens wife Helen is played by Rebecca DeMornay, and Brians love interest Jennifer, is played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Both women are very strong in their roles, and they also bring a lot to the film.


With fires happening all over the place, and corruption lying underneath the surface, this movie goes deep into the psyche of firemen, and what they do on a daily basis. The acting talent that is in this film blows everything else away, and the strong story that is put here by Ron Howard for them just makes it that much better. DeNiro is great in his role as an investigator, and Kurt Russell was born to play this role of a gung-ho firefighter. There are times when movies go over the top with special effects such as explosions and fire, but this film uses just the right amount of action to keep the story going. The dramatic ending, and the musical score created by Hans Zimmer are both things of beauty, which can be admired as great filmmaking. Backdraft is a film that I highly recommend, and it is one of those strong films that you can see again and again.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD