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We've all seen at least one parody of the baby being saved from the burning building by the heroic fireman in our time. Most will blame Backdraft, an action-drama directed by Ron Howard and written by Gregory Widen, for inspiring many satirical responses to the firefighting subject, seen as though it is one of the most popular films to emerge from its genre.

Not that Backdraft is particularly bad; it's actually pretty solid in both the drama and action departments, despite being rather predictable. The film is centred around engine seventeen in Chicago, where Lt. Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey (Kurt Russell) and his younger brother, Brian (William Baldwin), clash constantly over career aspirations, broken relationships with women and their dead father, in-between extinguishing fires set by a compulsive arsonist.

Despite being mocked by many, the scripted sibling rivalry results in some intense and interesting moments throughout the film, which are made evermore watchable by Russell and Baldwin's genuine onscreen chemistry. One of these is a heated brawl in the hospital after a young colleague’s face is badly burned on the job, which sees the two leads bringing terrific melancholy to their characters as they grapple with one another for acceptance. You can see Russell's face twitching with unleashed acrimony when his friends eventually manage to hold him back against the wall; in contrast, there's an element of hopelessness in the grieving eyes of Baldwin that is equally as fascinating. Sure, the relationship is overwrought in other parts of the story, but it's nevertheless the enthralling core of the movie.

Unsurprisingly, the fire sequences are also a main feature of Backdraft, and these are so spectacularly done that they should evoke a lot of interest. The deadly "backdrafts" -- which are sudden explosions of hot gases as fresh oxygen comes into contact with unburned fuel particles -- are visually striking and seem absolutely terrifying when the camera is plunged into the heart of the action. The sound work must also be commended for making the fire seem like a living, breathing character in its own right as it growls and roars at the firefighters (just listen as the blast of oxygen brings the smouldering flames to life -- it seems very authentic!)

Not quite so appealing, however, is the investigation part of the plot. This is headed by Robert De Niro's character, Donald Rimgale, who is attempting to solve the case of the mysterious arsonist by visiting burned-out buildings and infiltrating his convicted nemesis, Ronald Bartel (Donald Sutherland). Whilst De Niro and Sutherland do a decent job developing their characters, I personally found Backdraft to be much more appealing as a family drama in the first half of the film than as a "mystery thriller", which it attempted to be in the second half. Some people might disagree with me, but I found that the passionate rivalry added further fuel to the terrorizing fire sequences and resulted in the film's most enjoyable moments (I probably yearn for unresolved family conflicts).

Consider Backdraft a part arson investigation and part family drama, with some scorching special effects thrown in between. It may seem pretty conventional in most departments -- especially by today's standards -- but I still can't help but recommend the movie anyway. It's certainly entertaining!

(C) Andy Carrington, 2010.