Backdraft: It Will Blow You Away

As the fire alarm sounds a fireman grabs his youngest son to accompany him on the call. The little boy stands in awe outside the burning building. He proudly watches as his dad enters a third story window, rescues a little girl, looks at him and winks, then goes back in to fight the fire. His proud amazement turns to horror as he watches the fire break through the outside wall of the very room that his dad is in. The little boy yells for his dad as that part of the building explodes into flames. His dad’s fire helmet falls to the ground right in front of him.
Ron Howard directs an all-star cast in this exciting action-thriller that shows you the mystery, drama, and devastation of fire, as you’ve never seen it before. Released in July 1991, this action-packed story takes you right into the lives of a family of firemen. Due to the profanity, implied sex scenes, the shots of burned bodies, and the somewhat unnerving special effects, this film has an “R” rating.
What makes Backdraft an excellent movie is due to the exceptional portrayal of the characters, the magnificent balance of five different storylines in one, and the eye-opening special effects.
Stephen McCaffrey and Brian McCaffrey are two feuding siblings that carry on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. When a puzzling series of arson attacks are reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these explosive crimes.
In this film there was a list of talented, and well-known actors who did a tremendous job of portraying the personalities of their characters. Kurt Russell (Stephen McCaffrey) and William Baldwin (Brian McCaffrey) are the sons of a Chicago fireman, who gave his life in the performance of his duties. As a small boy, Brian witnessed the death of his father. Brian is emotionally scarred and has difficulty finding the right job. He had wanted to become a fireman like his father and older brother Stephen, and finally makes the same commitment. After graduating from the Academy, he is assigned to his brother’s crew. The rivalry between the two causes Brian to feel as if he constantly has to prove himself to Stephen, who thinks of Brian as his irresponsible little brother. Stephen is very courageous and probably takes more risks than most firefighters. Although it seems that Stephen is convinced that Brian hasn’t got what it takes to remain on the fireman squad, his feelings are less negative and more complex than they first appear. Underneath Stephen’s tough exterior he is very concerned about protecting the life of his brother. Stephen manages to browbeat Brian off the team. Feeling incompetent, but determined to continue his career, Brian joins the fireman’s investigations force, assisting arson investigator Donald Rimgale (Robert DeNiro). Brian’s first assignment with Rimgale is to investigate a series of arson fires involving an oxygen-induced ball of fire called a backdraft. Rimgale turns to imprisoned pyromaniac Ronald Bartel (Donald Sutherland) for links in the investigation of the arson attacks. The actors did a fantastic job of exposing all facets of their characters.
Ron Howard managed to run five different stories at the same time, all separate and yet interconnected, and still make them seem to be a cohesive unit. The five storylines are: 1) the animosity between two brothers. 2) Trouble at home between Stephen and his estranged wife Helen (Rebecca DeMornay). 3) Stephen slowly losing the respect of his company. 4) The rekindling of a relationship between Brian and Jennifer (Jennifer Jason Leigh). 5) The whodunit with elements of murder and arson.
The special effects seen in this movie take you into the actual essence of a fire. Silently, it waits. One breath of oxygen and it explodes into a deadly rage. In one scene when a man opened his front door, he was blown back into the street and impounded through the windshield of his car. In the last fire scene of the movie, Brian is compelled to follow his instincts and help fight a warehouse fire with Stephen and the rest of their team. Stephen, Brian, and a fellow fireman were in the main warehouse area fighting the fire. Part of the platforms they were on collapsed. Brian watches as Stephen and the other fireman end up dangling from the platform above the flames. Stephen is holding on with one hand while hanging onto the other fireman with the other hand. Stephen said, “If you go, we go,” as he lost his grip. The fireman fell to his death while Stephen landed on another platform below. As Brian made it to his injured brother’s side, other firemen came in with the hose. Explosions took place and they lost control of the hose. Brian single-handedly captured the hose from the flames. He fought the fire as the firemen rescued Stephen. No other movie has demonstrated such realistic pyrotechnic effects as seen in Backdraft.
This is an exciting movie with a suspenseful plot and it gives a realistic glimpse into the life of a real firefighter. With its talented portrayal of the characters, the magnificent balance of five different storylines in one, and the eye-opening special effects, Backdraft magically mixes mystery, honor, bravery, and love into one exceptionally produced and directed movie.
Backdraft: It will blow you away!