Review of Backdraft

Introduction

Take an all star cast including Robert De Niro, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, Kurt Russell and Rebecca DeMornay, add the spectacle of uncontrolled fire and the directorial skills of Ron Howard and you should be on to a winner.

Released in 1991, Backdraft was a big budget film that boasted some of the best visual effects then seen. Nine years down the line, it looks just as good and the fire sequences are at times breathtaking.

The basic plot synopsis is as follows: A young firefighter is killed in front of his young son while tackling a blaze. Years later, the son (Baldwin) is grown up and wants to follow in his Father`s footsteps (and also those of his older brother played by Russell) and become a firefighter himself. He joins the brigade in the midst of a series of puzzling arson attacks, all fatal, but after struggling in the front line, he teams up with a fire investigator (De Niro) to find the culprit. After a rookie firefighter is injured on one of the blazes, the net starts to draw in leading to a spectacular climax. Thrown in for good measure is sibling rivalry, some love interests (DeMornay and Jennifer Jason Leigh) and a crooked politician.

Video

This release most certainly does not do what is says on the packaging. The stated 2.35:1 widescreen is in fact 1.90:1 widescreen – and yes I did measure it with a tape measure!

Despite being non-anamorphic, the picture quality is good and certainly showed off the effects – the fires in the film are visually stunning and look very good indeed even though the film is 9 years old.

The locations used all look authentic and add to the overall quality feel of the production.

Audio

The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is of a high standard throughout the film.

The score is powerful and dramatic and when it blasts through all 5.1 channels it helps to build up the tension and atmosphere of the movie. During the fire sequences, there is good use of effects and you are immersed in the moment.

Elsewhere in the film, there are plenty of incidental and backgrounds effects, all well positioned, which again reflects the quality of the production.

A minor quibble is the relatively low level of the dialogue in a couple of scenes, but otherwise the speech is clear and understandable.

Features

A big-budget film based on fire would make for some excellent "making-of" footage, but alas there is none on this DVD.

All we have are cast/crew bios and production notes.

Conclusion

I had not seen Backdraft for many years and really enjoyed watching it again.

The cast of course helps – there is rarely a film starring Robert De Niro that is bad, and the others all play their parts well. Visually, the film has a lot to offer with the breathtaking fire sequences, and when combined with the good sound mix this makes for a satisfying viewing experience.

The lack of extras however is a big annoyance – especially for a full price back catalogue release and results in a mark docked from the overall score. I don’t expect a disc full of extras – but at the very least a "making-of" featurette showing how the fire scenes where done should be provided.