Backdraft
1991 · Movie · R · 137 min · ★ 6.7 · 56% critics
Two firefighters who grew up in the same heroic tradition clash repeatedly while working Chicago fires. When a string of suspicious arson attacks emerges, they must temporarily set aside their feuding to uncover who’s behind the crimes and why they target the city.
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Streaming on AMC+ — or rent from $3.99.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1991
- Release date
- 1991-05-24
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Critic score
- 56/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (1,575 votes)
About
Choose this if you want big, dramatic firefighter action with a mystery built around arson and teamwork, and if you love tense family rivalry; Not for you if you dislike melodrama or want a tighter, more focused plot like Ladder 49 or Into the Night.
Pros: fire action spectacle; strong mystery; big-name cast | Cons: melodrama and clichés; can feel overlong; investigation sometimes drags
Themes
- chicago, illinois
- rescue
- fire
- corruption
- sibling relationship
- psychopath
- office
- investigation
- danger of life
- arson
- firefighting
- explosion
- +5 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Sound Editing · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 1992 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Visual Effects · 1992 · nominated
Cast & crew
Kurt Russell
as Stephen McCaffrey
William Baldwin
as Brian McCaffrey
Robert De Niro
as Donald Rimgale
Donald Sutherland
as Ronald Bartel
Jennifer Jason Leigh
as Jennifer Vaitkus
Scott Glenn
as John 'Axe' Adcox
Rebecca De Mornay
as Helen McCaffrey
Jason Gedrick
as Tim Kirzminski
J.T. Walsh
as Alderman Marty Swayzak
- AS
Anthony Mockus Sr.
as Chief John Fitzgerald
Directed by Ron Howard