Post by Bret Walker on Sept 10, 2006 10:13:20 GMT -5
So I spent the entire 90's without ever seeing this film. I like Ron Howard as a director, but I just felt like this film looked a little self-serving, even though it was dedicated to all the firefighters accross the country. I like Kurt Russell, I think he's a fine and underrated actor. But for some reason I just had no real desire to see Backdraft. It just didn't appeal to my taste.
Then one day a few weeks ago, I saw it at my Dad's house. Now, seeing a film at my Dad's house is like seeing it in the theater. He's got the big-screen TV, the DVD player, the full surround-sound system with the big window-rattling sub-woofer. So when he opened Backdraft "just to see what it's like," I figured, five minutes won't kill me.
Ten minutes later, I was so wrapped up in the film that when he said "You don't have to watch this if you don't want," I waved him off, slackjawed, mystefied.
Well, what can I say. Backdraft is certainly an action-packed film. It's the story of two brothers, sons of a Chicago firefighter who loses his life in a fire as the youngest boy watched in horror. Some twenty years later, the oldest son, Stephen, is a lieutenant for Station 17, and his younger brother Brian, fresh graduate of fire school, is assigned to serve under him. Of course, there's a family feud happening behind the scenes, fueled by Brian's apparent lack of direction and Stephen's pig-headedness. When Brian is offered the chance to work for an investigator in the fire department, he takes it.
The investigator and Brian work together to discover the grisly truth behind a series of arsons which seemingly have no connection to each other. Soon they discover the common thread, and the trail takes them closer to home than either one of them would like.
Backdraft has a lot of good qualities. Of course, the acting is superb. What more could you ask for from Russell, William Baldwin, and Robert De Niro? The directing is standard for Ron Howard, which is pretty fantastic. The imagery and the shots inside the infernos are awe-inspiring (and of course, Dad's sound system puts you right in the middle of it). I'd definitely see this one again, with or without the extras. Action and human drama, a fine script and great acting, all combine to make Backdraft a very good film, worthy of multiple viewings.
One side note here, I was taken aback when I heard the music of Hans Zimmer. Don't get me wrong, the music blends well with the film. It's driving and inspiring, and definitely a good fit. However, as a fan of Iron Chef (Japan's hit cookoff show) I couldn't get the images of Chairman Kaga eating the yellow pepper during the opening scenes. Those of you who don't watch Iron Chef don't know that that show uses Zimmer's Backdraft soundtrack as its own musical score. And you know, it fits perfectly there as well!
Then one day a few weeks ago, I saw it at my Dad's house. Now, seeing a film at my Dad's house is like seeing it in the theater. He's got the big-screen TV, the DVD player, the full surround-sound system with the big window-rattling sub-woofer. So when he opened Backdraft "just to see what it's like," I figured, five minutes won't kill me.
Ten minutes later, I was so wrapped up in the film that when he said "You don't have to watch this if you don't want," I waved him off, slackjawed, mystefied.
Well, what can I say. Backdraft is certainly an action-packed film. It's the story of two brothers, sons of a Chicago firefighter who loses his life in a fire as the youngest boy watched in horror. Some twenty years later, the oldest son, Stephen, is a lieutenant for Station 17, and his younger brother Brian, fresh graduate of fire school, is assigned to serve under him. Of course, there's a family feud happening behind the scenes, fueled by Brian's apparent lack of direction and Stephen's pig-headedness. When Brian is offered the chance to work for an investigator in the fire department, he takes it.
The investigator and Brian work together to discover the grisly truth behind a series of arsons which seemingly have no connection to each other. Soon they discover the common thread, and the trail takes them closer to home than either one of them would like.
Backdraft has a lot of good qualities. Of course, the acting is superb. What more could you ask for from Russell, William Baldwin, and Robert De Niro? The directing is standard for Ron Howard, which is pretty fantastic. The imagery and the shots inside the infernos are awe-inspiring (and of course, Dad's sound system puts you right in the middle of it). I'd definitely see this one again, with or without the extras. Action and human drama, a fine script and great acting, all combine to make Backdraft a very good film, worthy of multiple viewings.
One side note here, I was taken aback when I heard the music of Hans Zimmer. Don't get me wrong, the music blends well with the film. It's driving and inspiring, and definitely a good fit. However, as a fan of Iron Chef (Japan's hit cookoff show) I couldn't get the images of Chairman Kaga eating the yellow pepper during the opening scenes. Those of you who don't watch Iron Chef don't know that that show uses Zimmer's Backdraft soundtrack as its own musical score. And you know, it fits perfectly there as well!
