Review of The Towering Inferno (1974) by Jack M — 24 Aug 2008

Hot off the heels of the success of "The Poseidon Adventure," producer Irwin Allen chose to follow up that seaworthy disaster epic with yet another excursion in peril: "The Towering Inferno", which went on to become an even bigger box office success than its predecessor, and remains to this day one of the most suspenseful and potent thrillers ever to come from a Hollywood studio. Much like the circumstances surrounding the Titanic disaster, those which enshroud the sudden and deadly fire that engulfs the newly-built Glass Tower in San Francisco stem from one thing: human arrogance. The building's owner (William Holden) is convinced that nothing can bring his structure to its knees, despite the knowledge that his son-in-law (Richard Chamberlain) was behind the decision to use faulty electrical wiring. Even with the warnings of the tower's chief architect (Paul Newman), who takes every opportunity to advise against holding off the dedication ceremony until a later date, the gala still goes on as planned, resulting in the entrapment of hundreds of people 135 stories up, with the flames chewing up their precious little time for a rescue effort.

Running at a broad two-and-a-half hours, John Guillerman's technically brilliant ode to the hubris of mankind is a spectacle that, like smoke, literally takes one's breath away with a stunning array of tightly-knit action sequences marked by escalating tension and unbearable suspense. Even when compared to today's more modern methods of special effects wizardry, the visuals that unfold within "The Towering Inferno" still manage to strike a nerve with full vigor. A vast collection of characters played by an ensemble cast to die for leaves room for speculation about who will and won't make it through the night; some deaths will surprise you, as will some of the survivals. Although there are times when character development seems a bit scant, the sheer intensity of it all more than makes up for any lapses we may come across. And a line found at the end of the film still manages to retain resonance in this post-September 11th nation of ours: looking up at the smoldering ruins of the tower, Steve McQueen's fire chief remarks, "One of these days, they're going to kill 10,000 in one of these firetraps." If only we knew now what he knew then.