The fire sequences are stunning, and the build-up to them, complete with blaring sirens and bellowed conversations, has an aggressive immediacy.
Comment
01/26/06
Backdraft (1991)
70
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:26
Rotten:11
Average Rating:6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins
Genre: Action/Adventure
Synopsis: Two feuding brothers carry on a heroic family tradition in the Chicago Fire Department. Before the smoke clears, love affairs are rekindled and lives are shattered as the brothers fight to resolve... [More]
Starring: Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Director: Ron Howard
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for Backdraft
It's spectacular, yes, but that's not all. Not only do the firefighting scenes evoke a feeling of gritty authenticity, but the fire itself really does seem to be alive.
02/05/08
Howard delivers exactly the kind of thoroughly entertaining commercial enterprise you might expect, only this one comes chock-full of breathtaking pyrotechnics allowing the ridiculous posturing of the two leads to take a back seat.
05/24/03
Great effects, the fire is a living, breathing entity.
08/15/02
No review available.
07/02/04
No review available.
08/08/02
No review available.
05/04/04
Backdraft may not be a very good movie, but it sure is great entertainment.
01/16/09
An extremely old-fashioned tale about heroic firefighters (rival siblings...) with some good special effects, this is a typical Ron Howard picture in its middlebrow sensibility and sentimentality.
02/24/07
Howard's burning ode to firefighters and the professional and personal lives they hope to conquer with devotion and defiance. A drama that convincingly spreads itself like a roaring blaze.
06/07/03
The three separate elements don't quite gel, but the overall experience is still a fine bit of moviemaking.
11/07/02
The spectacular fire sequences, which must have been hellish to film, are powerfully enveloping on screen, thanks especially to the eerie effect of the title.
05/20/03
Top CriticNo review available.
08/04/04
No review available.
04/20/07
Nice action movie. Great effects.
08/18/02
No review available.
08/31/04
No review available.
09/12/05
Backdraft has some of the raw filmmaking excitement that has been missing from Howard's recent work.
02/05/08
Top CriticLatest News for Backdraft
May 08, 2006:
Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, and Cast Discuss "Poseidon" Adventure
Josh Lucas knows that actors have it easier than other people. But the making of "Poseidon" was an incredibly difficult undertaking, he said. "I never compare... More...
June 06, 2005:
Dreyfuss, Russell & Rossum Climb Aboard the "Poseidon"
Richard Dreyfuss ("Jaws"), Kurt Russell ("Backdraft"), and Emmy Rossum ("The Phantom of the Opera") are the first high-profile cast members to... More...
May 25, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: "Sky High"
Yahoo! Movies brings us our very first look at "Sky High," which is Disney's cross between family comedy and superhero adventure flick. Kurt Russell... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
MSN's Year in Review 
Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.
Moviefone's Year End Poll
What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!
Tarantino's Characters
Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.
Top 10 Movies of 2009
TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.
Top 20 of the Decade
Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
RSS Feeds