DVD Corner

Backdraft Blu-ray Review

Not even the visual effects can save “Backdraft.”

Set in Chicago, 1991’s “Backdraft” revolves around firefighter brothers Brian and Steven who are following their late father’s footsteps. Steven is a cocky hothead who has recently separated from his wife while Brian is the newbie in the unit. The brothers don’t always get along (you gotta have that conflict!). 

The main plot involves the mystery behind a series of fires being investigated by the Fire Inspector known as Shadow. Is there an arsonist on the loose? Are people being systematically murdered by a serial killer? Is there a conspiracy cover-up? Is it political in nature? There’s a lot of questions, but all is revealed in the end.

Upon rewatching “Backdraft,” the first thought that came into my head was “Ron Howard has certainly come a long way as a filmmaker.” Back in 1991 he was still establishing his voice and it shows. The real issue though is that Gregory Widen’s script doesn’t give Howard much to work with. What could have been a heroic tribute to firefighters becomes a sluggish muddled story that feels like 2 movies in one. On one hand you have a story about family and brothers. On the other hand you have a mystery story that feels like it’s trying to cash in on “Silence Of The Lambs” (see the shoehorned in Donald Sutherland character). Together these two stories don’t click well together. It doesn’t help that the movie is saddled with hokey dramatic scenes, inaccuracies, one-dimensional characters, forced romance, dated montages, and a tragic misuse of a talented cast comprised of Kurt Russell, Robert De Niro, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, J.T. Walsh, and, yes, even Clint Howard. Russell is the only one putting in convincing performances here. Still not entirely sure what De Niro is doing here other than chewing scenery in a supporting role.

Of course, the real reason anyone would watch this movie is for the thrilling fire sequences/visual effects and on that front it delivers. Technically, the movie is indeed a marvel with superb sound (including an exciting Hans Zimmer score), top notch editing, and dazzling ILM visual effects (especially the intense climactic fire extravaganza). It’s no wonder this movie went on to inspire a stunt show at Universal Studios which went on for many years and was infinitely better than the movie itself!

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.35:1 1080p. How does it look? This remastered Blu-ray offers up a quality transfer of a catalogue title.

Audio Track: DTS:X. How does it sound? From the fire trucks to the raging infernos, this audio track gives viewers an immersive auditory journey.

Extras:
* Ron Howard intro.
* 43 minutes of deleted scenes.
* “The Explosive Stunts” behind-the-scenes featurette
* “Igniting The Story”- A featurette on the script.
* “Bringing Together The Team” is all about the casting.
* “Creating The Villain: The Fire”- A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the fire sequences.
* “Real-Life Firemen, Real-Life Stories” centers around Santa Clarita firefighters. 

December 16, 2023 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Backdraft Blu-ray Review, Firefighters, Kurt Russell, Robert De Niro, Ron Howard, Universal Studios