Backdraft (1991)
80%RT Audience Score: 75%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
1 win & 11 nominations total
It’s not particularly deep, but Backdraft is a strong action movie with exceptional special effects
Backdraft” is a movie that will make you appreciate firefighters more than ever before. Sure, it’s unrealistic, but who cares when you’re watching state-of-the-art special effects that make you feel like you’re inside a burning building? Plus, there’s a sex scene on top of a fire engine, so there’s plenty of eye candy for everyone. The plot may get a little murky at times, but the relationship between the two firefighting brothers is worth exploring. Overall, “Backdraft” is a smoking-hot slice of old-school entertainment that’s worth a watch.
Production Company(ies)
ARTE Bavaria Film International, Corazón International,
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Chicago Firehouse Restaurant, 1401 S. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and a scene of sensuality
Year of Release
1991
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:2h 17m
-
Language(s):English
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 24, 1991 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 19, 2006
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, directed by Ron Howard, written by Gregory Widen, drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Bob Fenster, Bill Cosford, Michael H Price, Jay Boyar, Angie Errigo, Kathleen Carroll, Don Shanahan, Mark Jackson, John Ferguson, Chris Hicks, Eddie Harrison, R rating, firefighting, arson, conspiracy, political corruption, family drama, action movie, special effects, Chicago, oxygen-induced infernos, backdrafts, firefighting brothers, rivals, arson unit, investigation, crooked politician, combustible relationship, firefighting crew, firefighting techniques, firefighting equipment, firefighting training, firefighting bravery, firefighting danger, firefighting heroism, firefighting sacrifice, firefighting brotherhood, firefighting teamwork, firefighting adrenaline rush, firefighting danger, firefighting rescue, firefighting tragedy, firefighting triumph
Worldwide gross: $152,368,585
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $336,337,060
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 448
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 36,677,978
US/Canada gross: $77,868,585
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $171,886,422
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 445
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,686,200
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $28,003,405
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 492
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $40,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $88,295,644
Production budget ranking: 467
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $47,547,204
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $200,494,211
ROI to date (est.): 148%
ROI ranking: 773
William Baldwin – Brian McCaffrey
Robert De Niro – Donald ‘Shadow’ Rimgale
Donald Sutherland – Ronald Bartel
Jennifer Jason Leigh – Jennifer Vaitkus
Scott Glenn – John “Axe” Adcox
Director(s)
Ron Howard
Writer(s)
Gregory Widen
Producer(s)
Pen Densham, Richard B. Lewis, John Watson
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
1 win & 11 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (58) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (44) | Rotten (14)
Although the movie is unrealistic in its depiction of fircfighting, it’s a stunning piece of cinematic storytelling.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Bob Fenster
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
Until Backdraft, no one had mastered the effects necessary to show what it’s like inside a burning building. Now someone has.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
Bill Cosford
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
Ron Howard and screenwriter Steve Widen have distilled an essence of fear.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 8/10
Michael H. Price
Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com
TOP CRITIC
[Howard’s] intuitive sense of the rhythms of popular entertainment keeps the picture from bogging down.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
Dramatically, of course, it’s utter twaddle, but with state-of-the-art incendiary special effects and a sex scene on top of a fire engine, there’s plenty of bang for your buck.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Angie Errigo
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The movie definitely cools off when it gets bogged down with a murky plot involving an arsonist and political corruption. But it succeeds in exploring the combustible relationship between two firefighting brothers.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Kathleen Carroll
New York Daily News
TOP CRITIC
Make no apologies for losing this movie about melodramatic and manly brothers.
April 15, 2022
Don Shanahan
Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast
After watching “Backdraft” you’ll find you’re no longer resentful when hit with the full force of an NYFD hook & ladder barreling down the block, sirens shrieking and air horn blaring “GAAGGHHH!!! GAAAGHHH!!!!” You’ll respect America’s firefighters more.
August 27, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
The plot is hardly original, but Howard marshals the sprawling elements with great finesse and the fire footage, if harrowing at times, is genuinely exhilarating.
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
John Ferguson
Radio Times
Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Gregory Widen seem to aspire to serious notions, but they are constantly sidetracked by soap opera cliches and slam-bang pyrotechnics.
August 3, 2021
Chris Hicks
Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
…a decent thrill ride, and a smoking-hot slice of old-school entertainment…
August 3, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Eddie Harrison
film-authority.com
Objectively, this is an overlong and overheated piece of work. But Ron Howard’s visually stunning spectacle nevertheless feels human in its messiness and, for all its indulgence, memorably tactile and urgent in its conveyance of lives jeopardized.
June 24, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Nick Rogers
Midwest Film Journal…
Plot
A rookie firefighter tries to earn the respect of his older brother and other firefighters while taking part in an investigation of a string of arson/murders. This detailed look into the duties and private lives of firemen naturally features widespread pyrotechnics and special effects.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Backdraft on Fresh Kernels.
Ron-Howard.jpg
