Ladder 49
Ladder 49 Image
Metascore
47 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 58 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Jacinda Barrett, Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta
  • Summary: When a firefighter (Phoenix) is trapped in the worst blaze of his career, his life and the things he holds important -- family, dignity, courage -- come into focus. As his fellow firemen of Ladder 49 do all they can to rescue him, Jack's life hangs in the balance. (Touchstone Pictures/Beacon Pictures)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 32
  3. Negative: 6 out of 32
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    Because it is attentive to these human elements, Ladder 49 draws from the action scenes instead of depending on them. Phoenix, Travolta, Barrett and the others are given characters with dimension, so that what happens depends on their decisions, not on the plot.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    75
    There's a lot of flashy acting going, notably by Travolta, who has not been more engaging on-screen in a decade, and by newcomer Barrett, a willowy Aussie who, as a woman living with the specter of death, gives the film's most complete performance.
  3. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Kirk Honeycutt
    60
    The film is less of a drama than a tribute -- an ode, even -- to the spirit and tenacity of firefighters. Its makers hardly bother to explore the lives or motives behind their actions.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Rick Kisonak
    30
    The men in this movie are little more than beer ad cliches going through Ford tough motions as though trapped in a bad country music video. There's not a realistic moment or character or performance in the picture.

See all 32 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 40
  3. Negative: 1 out of 40
  1. Alex6
    10
    Although hardly publicised and fairly predictable, it is a film which you really get into. I'd never heard of it when I began watching it; but thoroughly enjoyable. But sad.… Expand
  2. DaveF
    6
    Predictable and shallow as it goes through the motions of the Hollywood tearjerker. That said, it's still a lot of fun to watch--and might even knock some sense into the college kid who likes to pull his dorm's fire alarm.… Expand
  3. PatC.
    6
    Shamelessly hokey Hollywood Formula 49 piece. An homage to firefighters without the annoyance of allowing the viewer to experience an original thought. The content rings true, but the presentation does not. Despite an obtuse presentation its point is made. The fact that the movie is about those who charge into what others are fleeing is not negated by the techniques and motives of the filmmaker.… Expand

See all 40 User Reviews

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