Backdraft

Two firefighter brothers in Chicago, Stephen and Brian, have drifted apart since their father died on duty. Forced to work in the same house, they are both pulled into an arson investigation running through the city. Ron Howard directed. Kurt Russell, William Baldwin and Robert De Niro star. Filming ran from July to December 1990 in Chicago, with the cast training at the Chicago Fire Academy. Industrial Light and Magic produced much of the visual effects work. The title comes from a technical event: when air suddenly enters an enclosed, oxygen-depleted fire, the superheated gases burn explosively. The film introduced the term to a wide audience. On a 40 million dollar budget it grossed 152.4 million worldwide, 77.9 million of it domestic, finishing 14th at the 1991 box office. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 72 percent, the consensus blunt: not particularly deep, but a strong action movie with exceptional special effects. Siskel and Ebert were positive; others found the story formulaic. It took three nominations at the 64th Academy Awards: Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects. It became an attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood from 1992 to 2010, and Backdraft 2 followed in 2019. Who it is for: viewers who like practical effects and films about a trade. Who it is not for: anyone wanting an original story. The brother conflict and the arson investigation follow a familiar shape, and what carries the film is the fire.