Review of Backdraft (1991) by Monty H — 26 Mar 2011

It's hard to believe that Backdraft is 20 years old. It's even harder to believe that in all that time it's Tomatometer rating has held up at 72%. I remember seeing this at the theatre in its original release and being underwhelmed; so much so that I don't know that I've bothered to sit through the whole thing since.

The siren's song that is Walmart's $10 and $15 blue-ray aisle lured me in again though, and I took the opportunity to revisit the film. After my second viewing, here are my take-aways: 1) Kurt Russell will forever be the most under-rated action star of the late 20th century.

He never got the superstar treatment that Arnie or Sly did, but I find my action movie shelf full of his really great movies (The Thing, Escape from New York, Tombstone) 2: Whoever thought that any Baldwin brother except Alec had the makings of a movie star should be tied to a chair and made to watch Sliver in an endless loop until they break down in a pitiful wail of mercy.

3: Jennifer Jason Leigh, while my second favorite undressed actress in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (there were only two) should take the marbles out of her mouth when acting 4: This movie came out only a year after Goodfellas, and I already get the feeling that Robert DeNiro had decided he could draw a good paycheck at that point by just being Robert DeNiro.

5: Ron Howard must have traded crib notes with Michael Bay for this one, as there are more slow motion hero shots, "the rookie is gonna be OK" dialog, and roles for women that are really just excuses for hanky-panky on the top of fire engines than should be stuffed into one action movie.

6: I'm trading my blue ray copy of Backdraft in to the used movie guy at the flee market next week and I'm doing an intervention on myself to stay away from $10 movies at Walmart.