Under the watchful eye of his mentor Chief Mike Kennedy (Travolta), probationary firefighter Jack Morrison (Phoenix) matures into a seasoned veteran at a Baltimore fire station. Jack has reached a crossroads, however, as the sacrifices he's made have put him in harm's way innumerable times and significantly impacted his relationship with his wife and kids. Responding to the worst blaze in his career, he becomes trapped inside a 20-story building. And as he reflects on his life, Chief Kennedy frantically coordinates the effort to save him. [TRAILER]

STEVEN SNYDER'S REVIEW

In the competent and efficient “Ladder 49,” we are introduced to firefighter Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), first as he battles a four-alarm blaze high above a warehouse, then as the floor beneath him collapses, and finally as he slips in and out of consciousness while trying to escape from the rubble.

Passing out, Jack’s life flashes before his eyes. He remembers his first days in the firehouse, the day he met his future wife, the days he saved lives and the days he lost friends on the job. All the while, he is in communication with Chief Kennedy (John Travolta), his former captain, who has arrived on the scene at the warehouse and is managing the chaos.

Judging this firefighter drama is troublesome. Much like a movie about war, children or love, there is an emotional power to the movie that cannot be denied. Early on, we clearly perceive and identify with the camaraderie of Jack and his friends, and are moved by the unmistakable images of heroism and valor.

But firefighter movies have been made before, and as this story progresses one can’t help but feel some repetition to the formula.

Jack’s early, funny days with his chums feel contrived because we haven’t yet come to know these characters. His relationship with Linda (Jacinda Barrett) is initially interesting, as we are witness to the awkwardness that arises between someone who lives his life on the brink and someone who lives a more comfortable existence, but as the movie progresses they barely speak and are finally reduced to clichés. And while Jack’s heroism is moving early on, it slowly loses its meaning because we do not come to know Jack, or those he saves, with any greater depth.

The result is what I call the scrapbook effect. “Ladder 49” has the same impact as a scrapbook, using traditional images and metaphors to trick us into thinking that we’ve seen a great movie.

For instance, I could use images of family, children, animals, or weather, and elicit a response from you. I could direct you to laugh, cry, feel sympathy or get mad. And in “Ladder 49,” we get the feeling that we are shown tragedy, boyish pranks, and smoky rescues as little more than the predictable stops along a predetermined journey.

While this diagnosis is easy, the remedy is a bit more challenging.

The acting is as good as can be expected, given the story’s disjointed structure. Phoenix and Travolta bring to their roles an intensity that makes their professional sides believable, but both restrain their charisma when off-duty to paint a humble picture of everyday heroes. And the script itself successfully weaves together these light-hearted, moving, and dramatic moments.

No, in this case the problem is not to be found with the execution, but with the very premise.

“Ladder 49” is essentially telling a story that has already been told before. Bouncing between the present and the past, between an adventure and a biography, the story becomes watered down. And director Jay Russell addresses these problems by stringing together a series of emotional peaks based on universal images, such as a stranded children or military funerals, that work as individual scenes but feel predictable and manipulative within the overall story.

What would have been better is a firefighter film free of the sentimentality and melodrama present here. Instead, show the raw horror of what these fighters face in these infernos, what struggles arise from living in such close quarters with co-workers, and what psychological issues emerge as they persevere through scenarios that few of us could survive, much less repeat.

It is when we spot the strings being pulled that movies fall apart. That said, “Ladder 49” does entertain, but it entertains on a far less involving and more superficial level.

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