47
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumAside from the awesome flames and pyrotechnic scenes of crisis, danger, and part-of-the-job bravery, the movie is a quiet salute; it does its job.
- 63ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliOne could argue that such an approach isn't all bad - after all, it allows us to know and like the characters - but there are times when Ladder 49 gets a little too cute.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttThe film is less of a drama than a tribute -- an ode, even -- to the spirit and tenacity of firefighters. Its makers hardly bother to explore the lives or motives behind their actions.
- 60Dallas ObserverBill GalloDallas ObserverBill GalloThis resolutely old-fashioned movie is less a drama of the streets than a kind of recruiting film.
- 50L.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonL.A. WeeklyChuck WilsonPhoenix, who initially seemed the kind of actor who was too cool, too angry, to appear in studio pap such as this, is a magnetic presence, despite the numbing pathos surrounding him, but isn't that what we used to say about Travolta?
- 50Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneInstead of cashing in on barely healed wounds, Ladder 49 could have taken a different cue from pornography and gone the way of "Boogie Nights," a fascinating, difficult and honest glimpse into another storied profession.
- 40The A.V. ClubNathan RabinThe A.V. ClubNathan RabinIn a shrill attempt to overcompensate for the film's shortcomings, William Ross' hyperbolic score does the audience's work for it, cheering heroism, guffawing during lighthearted moments, and getting all misty-eyed during the tender and tragic scenes.
- 30Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonThe firefighting equivalent of an Army recruitment commercial.
- 20The New York TimesManohla DargisThe New York TimesManohla DargisWhat makes this nonsense more galling than usual is that while Ladder 49 might have started out as a heartfelt attempt to honor those in the line of literal fire, it weighs in as an attempt to exploit their post-Sept. 11 symbolism.