In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a bad addition to any high definition film collection.
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"Backdraft" is Director Ron Howard´s 1991 ensemble driven drama about a deadly arson investigation and a divide it creates between two brothers who lost their father to a deadly fire. Seemingly conceived to show the dangerous nature of firefighting and to show off the digital technology that was making waves at the time, "Backdraft" is a decent enough film that is quite entertaining, but never truly delivers on the human element that it tries to push down the viewer´s throat. The film desperately tries to convey how dangerous being a firefighter can be and it desperately tries to deliver an emotional element through a strained brotherhood. Where the film succeeds in delivering awe-inspiring fire sequences, the story of the McCaffrey brothers suffers miserably.
Kurt Russell and William Baldwin portray the two brothers, Stephen and Brian. When the two brothers are young, their father Dennis (Kurt Russell) takes Brian (Baldwin) on his first fire call. Dennis is killed by a ´backdraft´ and the elder brother, Stephen (Russell) raises Brian and tries to keep him away from the dangerous flames that took their father from them. However, Brian finds himself serving in the same fire company as his brother and the sparks begin to erupt between them. Their relationship quickly dwindles as Stephen is overbearing on his brother and overly critical of each of Brian´s actions. Soon, the fires that burn around them are the lesser of the brothers´ worries, as they become each others´ biggest danger.
A number of the fires that Stephen and his friend John Adcox (Scott Glenn) battle are soon ruled as arson and a definite pattern emerges. Brian finds himself working with an arson investigator, Donald Rimgale (Robert De Niro). This causes even greater strain between the two brothers, especially when the investigation soon begins to center around Stephen and members of his fire company. Brian finds romance in the arms of the lovely Jennifer Vaitkus (Jennifer Jason Leigh). He must ask the man who started the fire that kills his father, Ronald Bartel (Donald Sutherland) for assistance in finding clues to the arsonist that is plaguing the city and as the arsonist claims another firefighter, the investigation and the brothers´ relationship becomes overly dangerous and volatile.
"Backdraft" tries to be a thriller. It tries to be an action film. It tries to be a drama. The problem is, that "Backdraft" tries to be too much. The special effects are very good, even considering that the digital effects used in the film were relatively new and not as refined. Some of the fire sequences are absolutely incredible and wonderful to behold in high definition. They are thrilling and they are captivating. They are also overly heroic and instead of paying homage to the firefighters the film is based upon, or conveying the danger faced everyday by these brave men, "Backdraft" loses any emotion in the awe factor of these sequences and these scenes become nothing more than well done and clever moments of excitement. The drama between the brothers serves as nothing more than unwanted filler between the firefighting moments. Kurt Russell´s character is overbearing. He is meant to appear guilty for part of the storyline. The viewer just never finds any great reason to care about the strained relationship between the brothers. Who is causing the arson and how great will the next fire sequence be becomes the only two relevant issues.
The cast assembled for this ensemble film is very good. Robert De Niro and Donald Sutherland are living legends in Hollywood. They instantly add credibility to any film. Sure, Donald Sutherland appeared in "Kentucky Fried Movie," but his appearance in "Backdraft" only makes the film a better movie. Kurt Russell and William Baldwin are just fine in the title roles and I´ve always enjoyed the former Disney actor, Kurt Russell. The supporting cast of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Clint Howard and J.T. Walsh are not only familiar faces, but fine actors that add value to the picture. "Backdraft" is not a picture that won awards with its storytelling element, but it certainly had a cast better than many films that did take home a few golden statues.
I enjoy "Backdraft," but I don´t think it is a particularly great film, or even a classic. It is entertaining. Like "Armageddon," "Waterworld" and "Sahara," "Backdraft" is a fun picture that goes nicely with a tall bag of heavily buttered popcorn. It is not the kind of film you want to invite a gaggle of friends over to watch, but it serves nicely as an evening´s escape from the daily grind. Ron Howard has went on to direct some very good pictures that had a captivating story and delivered on the human element. "Backdraft" served as Ron Howard´s foray into special effects and a way for the director to produce a loud and expansive film. It served to show that Richie Cunningham was more than capable of working with digital effects and a large budget. Opie was growing up as a director with "Backdraft" and Howard did a fine job of making a special effects driven spectacle, but the film is no "A Beautiful Mind."
Video:
The HD-DVD release of "Backdraft" is the second time I´ve owned the film on a digital disc. The first time I owned "Backdraft" was on DVD when Universal was releasing their films in a standard CD jewelcase. That release featured non-anamorphic video and contained no mentionable special features. Fifteen years after its 1991 release, "Backdraft" makes its debut on a High Definition video disc with this wonderful looking HD-DVD disc. The 2.35:1 / 1080p transfer is absolutely stunning for a film of its age. There are nearly no blemishes, very little film grain and the picture rivals that of many films released in the last couple of years. The film´s digital effects have held up well since the film debuted and are not betrayed in the least by the higher definition imagery. Universal has continually released high quality transfers of their films on HD-DVD and "Backdraft" is their latest success story.
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[release]19235[/release]