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Better then average Hollywood drama This is not your typical, feel-good, happy-sappy Hollywood movie-mill production, and for that I was grateful. If you're a fan of that type of film, I encourage you to expand your horizons before venturing into Ladder 49. This is the kind of movie that leaves you feeling sober, pensive, somber, and maybe even a little more grateful for those willing to risk their lives so we can sleep better at night. It's not a perfect production, and at the heart of the flaws is Mr. Travolta who delivers an almost flat and empty performance. I say "almost" because in the last five minutes of the film his character Captain Mike Kennedy finally comes to life and turns believable. During the rest of the film it's just too obvious that we're watching an actor try to fit into a role which he has not fully assimilated and doesn't know how to play. Counter that with the performance of Joaquin Phoenix, who is quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. He first appeared on my radar screen for his role as Commodus in Ridley Scott's "Gladiator" where he was so positively gross and horrible that it took some time for me to realize that Phoenix was only acting. Add to that his roles in M. Night Shyamalan's "Signs" and "The Village" and you have one of the most talented and diverse actors alive today. In Ladder 49 he plays firefighter Jack Morrison, and we watch his career progress through a series of flashbacks which take place as he is trapped in a burning grain elevator in Boston harbor. Phoenix takes a comfortable and casual approach to the role and perfectly pulls off being an ordinary guy torn between his family and his career. It's a common situation in Hollywood movies, but Phoenix is remarkable believable. There are a few scenes the film could have done without, mostly because they felt too obvious and cheap. Example 1: After the death of a fellow firefighter the crew is sitting back at the firehouse. An old veteran comments that his death was avoidable and that he made an obvious mistake. Morrison (Phoenix) erupts at the slander of his dead friend and a fight breaks out, but is quickly broken up by Captain Kennedy (Trivolta) who, surprise, yells and screams and belittles them both for behaving such a way in "my house." Example 2: Shortly after Morrison falls in love with Linda (Jacinda Barrett) the two are in a bar with the rest of the fire house crew, everyone becoming progressively drunk, and of course they play the usual drinking games of who can down more booze then the other. Both scenes, and several others like them, are clear attempts to show normal human nature, but are so obvious, expected, and over used that they make much of the film feel cookie-cutter and stereotyped. Couple that with a lazy performance by Trivolta, and it adds up to a not-so-wonderful job by director Jay Russell. It's a good thing he had Phoenix and an overall inspiring subject, which more then compensate and turn the movie into a solid four stars. In a nutshell, Ladder 49 ia a film everyone should see. It's not a "jump up and down and shout" type movie, it's a "wow, that was real" type movie. You'll be glad you watched it.