As the picture opens, firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix) is involved in an incredibly ferocious blaze that has engulfed a massive structure in the city. As he struggles to save lives and put out the flames, an explosion causes the top floor of the building to give way, sucking Jack down several floors beneath. As he lay injured and helpless waiting for aid to arrive, we are told his story via flashbacks which showcase everything from his rookie year with the department to his marriage to Linda (Jacinda Barrett) to the birth of his kids.

Ladder 49 wears it’s heart on it’s sleeve. It has all the elements you’d expect from a movie about fire fighters - heroism, a sense of family, tragedy and, of course, heat. What really took me by surprise was the sense of humor this picture has to offer. There’s a lot of stuff in the first half of Ladder 49 that’s really funny. Most of it is derived from the badgering of rookies. But mostly, I appreciated this movie’s honesty. While it isn’t entirely unpredictable, it doesn’t sugarcoat the proceedings either.

Joaquin Phoenix is the key here. There are moments in Ladder 49 that easily could have slipped into the melodramatic (including a big speech given by John Travolta), but Phoenix’s portrayal keeps the entire picture grounded in reality. What’s more, this terrific actor doesn’t overplay the part. He’s subtle and earnest. This is a man who was born to save lives, and it isn’t for glory or a paycheck. It’s because it’s the noble thing to do. There is no one he wouldn’t put his life on the line for and this really shines through. I really can’t wait to see Phoenix’s turn in the upcoming Johnny Cash biopic. This talented actor is the real deal.

Travolta is likable as Captain Mike Kennedy. I’ve always liked the Saturday Night Fever icon (Pulp Fiction is one of my all time favorite films), but quite often, I find him sorely miscast (I didn’t buy him as a lawyer in A Civil Action or a military man in Basic and The General’s Daughter). When I heard he’d be playing a firefighter, my eyes rolled into the back of my skull. Happily, he’s really strong here as Kennedy, a source of great strength for the department and the voice of reason. The scenes in which he boosts the moral of his men and keeps everything together, really work, and ultimately, Travolta’s Kennedy becomes the personification of everything a Captain should be. Terrific performance.

The actors that make up the fire fighters are all solid and endearing in their own right, and the commraderie amongst the cast is picture perfect. These men are family and that really comes across.

Ladder 49 is depressing. It’s a movie about firefighters, and there are characters who die and others that are seriously injured, but none of this stuff seems overly manipulative. These guys constantly put there life on the line, and that’s really what the movie’s about.

The screenplay is strong and doesn’t fall back on a half-baked mystery (I always felt that Backdraft’s revelation of an arsonist on the loose, took away from that film’s human story). Ladder 49 pays tribute to the fire fighters themselves. Even the more obvious scenes I thought might make me cringe (watch for the "red car" sequence), didn’t because I got caught up in the lives of these characters.

The fire fighting sequences are energetic, and evoke a sense of claustrophobia. While they aren’t as flashy and grand as the ones on display in Ron Howard’s Backdraft, they aren’t meant to be. As I previously stated, this is more a movie about people.

I really got pulled into the drama of Ladder 49, and I attribute most of this to solid acting and terrific cast commraderie. I really cared about these men. Even the one’s that acted inappropriately on occasion (such as a flawed but dedicated Lenny Richter –winningly played by Robert Patrick).

Ladder 49 is the first big surprise of the fall movie season, and proof that you can’t always judge a picture by it’s trailer. This is a terrific film.

Grade: B+