- Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
- Release Date: Oct 1, 2004
- Starring: Jacinda Barrett, Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta
- Summary:
- Director: Jay Russell
- Genre(s): Action, Drama, Thriller
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 8 out of 32
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Mixed: 18 out of 32
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Negative: 6 out of 32
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88Because 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.
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75There'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.
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60The 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.
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30The 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.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 33 out of 40
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Mixed: 6 out of 40
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Negative: 1 out of 40
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DaveF6
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PatC.6
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