Review of The Towering Inferno (1974) by Paul A — 25 Mar 2012
Maybe I'm just not that impressed with the disaster film genre from the 70's, but "The Towering Inferno" failed to thrill me. In concept, it was really great. But with modern firefighting films like "Ladder 49," this film lacks the realism and intensity that I was hoping for.
Paul Newman and Steve McQueen don't deliver their best performances but they're good. Same with Faye Dunaway and Fred Astaire. And the script has some nice lines but not enough to satisfy a 165 minute runtime.
There are a lot of characters who receive a decent dose of development, but never to the extent that we really care whether they survive or die. Do you see what I'm getting at? It isn't bad, but it isn't good.
It's just "eh." The best part of this film is the final resolution for the fire but like most disaster films, it isn't really worth sitting through the plot since most of us just want to see explosions and flames.
This film won 3 Oscars and rightfully received recognition for its cinematography... but its name is undeserving of even being mentioned in the same sentence as "Godfather Part II" regarding the Best Picture nominees for 1975.
This review of The Towering Inferno (1974) was written by Paul A on 25 Mar 2012.
The Towering Inferno has generally received positive reviews.
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