Backdraft

Backdraft follows newly-minted firefighter Brian McCaffrey as he attempts to prove himself to his older brother (and experienced fireman) Stephen (Kurt Russell), with the movie eventually detailing the protagonists’ efforts at identifying and stopping a deadly arsonist with an apparent grudge against the city. It’s ultimately clear that Backdraft, which runs a hopelessly overlong 137 minutes, comes off as a top-notch thriller trapped within a poorly-paced and needlessly bloated piece of work, which is a shame, certainly, given that director Ron Howard has packed the proceedings with a number of above-average elements – including impressively staged-and-conceived fire sequences and a raft of better-than-average supporting performances. (The movie, in terms of the latter, boasts strong work by, among others, Robert De Niro, Scott Glenn, and Donald Sutherland, with the latter especially riveting as an aging pyromaniac.) The episodic bent of the film’s first half – much of the narrative seems to follow the central characters as they fight one fire after another – does test the viewer’s patience to a fairly demonstrable degree, and it’s clear that Backdraft, by and large, works best when focused on the rivalry and relationship between the central figures (and how it ultimately affects their respective work). By the time the somewhat protracted climax rolls around, Backdraft has firmly confirmed its place as a mild disappointment from an otherwise consistent filmmaker.

**1/2 out of ****