October 11, 2004
Go hug a Fireman today
My wife and I saw Ladder 49 last week and this post should have come the very next day. Being a born and bred Baltimorean, any movie that is centered on Baltimore has a special place in my heart; John Waters being a notable exception. So I had a pretty good idea that I would enjoy this movie for the setting alone, but there was so much more there to envelop.
A friend remarked to me that his wife thought this movie was made too close to the 9/11 tragedy and exploited the memories of the firefighters that died that day. On the contrary to me, the memory of those brave men drew me in even closer to the characters of this movie, which was the most important aspect of this film.
Yes the special affects were great and the realism of fire was captured seamlessly with any set design of a burning factory or Baltimore based row home. I have heard that may real firefighters applaud this movie for it’s realism and draw a strong contrast to Backdraft. This movie was not about a mystery that needed to be wrapped up in under two hours, but the real life journeys of brave men that answer their call of duty and live their life of purpose.
Go see this movie and then go to your local fire department and thank them for their hard work and for keeping your life safe.
This is one of the greatest movies ever, and it did make it even better being from Maryland. I thought the ending was depressing but was very good and fitting. I went and saw this movie during its' opening weekend and was speechless. You are definitly right about how thankful everyone should be towards these firefighters.
-chris