Charger Arts & Entertainment

Ladder 49: a movie for everyone

Amber Dixon, Charger Staff

Ladder 49 is a good date movie to see when he does not want girlie movie, and she does not want blood and guts movie. It is a movie that will please both parties without offfending one or the other. This is an action, comedy, and romance movie all in one. Although for people who are not afraid to show emothions, bring a box of tissues. There are times when a smile goes across the face, a tear goes down the check, or a brust of laughter comes out. It is an exciting movie all the way around. There are also those explosions for the guys to enjoy, or, for that matter, girls who like fire.

Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Signs) is a fire fighter named Jack Morrison who gets trapped while trying to save a man off the 12th floor of a 25 floor building. While stuck, Phoenix reflects back on his life. His first flash back is his first day coming into the fire station. Each flash back sends him closer to the time where he is trapped in the building.

Morrison is a man who just wanted to save lives. That was the whole reason he wanted to become a fire fighter. He did not want to give up his job even after losing friends and almost his own life. He worked through his problems with his persistence to live and go to work. He believed the only way you could help a fellow fire fighter who died was to keep on working and not to feel sorry for yourself. Morrison is a selfless person who would go into a building or go through the call without worrying about his own life.

Chief Mike Kennedy(John Travolta; Face Off, Punisher)is Morrison’s chief and mentor. He is always there for Morrison. Travolta is truly a role model anyone could use in their life. He actually plays a good, honest person in Ladder 49, which is a change for him.

Ladder 49 is a movie that shows you not to take your life for granted and when something bad does happen you need to just keep on trucking.

Other actors in this movie are Linda(Jacinda Barrett; The Human Stain, Campfire Tales), Keith(Jay Hernandez; Crazy Beautiful, Torque), and Dennis(Billy Burke; Lost Junction, Mafia!).

Ladder 49 was directed by Jay Russell (Tuck Everlasting, My Dog Skip). The movie was produced by Touchstone Pictures. The rating is PG-13 for some language and intense fire and rescue scenes.

Movies that can compare to Ladder 49 are Butterfly Effect, Forrest Gump, and Paycheck, for their action and flashbacks.