Backdraft [Blu-ray]

Some of these big budget films simply have it all, which is mind you, included in salaries as well as special effects no doubt, but a film with a top notch all star cast, with pyrotechnic effects that are produced by the best around of that day and with a damn decent script and a strong story driving it, (in this case, a mysterious, but clever arsonist who is driven by anger and a point to make, nuff said), and a bit of a sibling rivalry at its centre, then you get an epic classic like this. Kurt Russell's career has been pretty consistent over the years, he hasn't done much that I think he isn't going to be proud of at the end of his career, (although I'm not sure if he has ever played a villain), and when you include the classic failures, like The Thing, now considered by most to be one of the finest sci fi horrors ever, then he has a lot to be proud of, and being a natural athlete anyway, which I am guessing he is, and a former Disney kid, which I know he is, then this has to stand as one of his finest performances. He is the lead in a film packed with massive names and some of the best around, William Baldwin, JT Walsh, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Rebecca De Mornay, to name but a few. At the front of it all, and driving the film, aside from its obvious firey drama, is the sibling rivalry he has with his younger brother, Brian, (William Baldwin). I found this to be great fun to watch and very honest in its depiction of two brothers who quite simply do not get along. Hey, in reality, brothers and sisters too let's face it, they fight and they argue people, not all brothers and sisters get along. But I found their tensions and their rivalry to be very believable and wonderfully played. It was like each time they got together, it was like, 'Hey, you're my brother, but sc*** you'. The pyrotechnic effects of course are awesome. They obviouosly must have had a terrific team for the special effects and they were real too, no cgi, which was at the time, in its infancy. There is an intro by Ron Howard who was going to use cgi, but wanted to test it first, to see if it would look okay, but he thought it looked too fake, so they went with the real thing, and I think they did a fantastic job. Not that I am a fan of the director by the way. There are some directors out there who I am no fan of, but every so often they will come up with one or two great movies, and Ron Howard is one of them. I am no Ron Howard fan, I just don't think much to the guy, (and if you ever saw the South Bank show with Melvyn Bragg, he looked none too impressed when interviewing the guy either, so I am not alone), but he has made two films which can quite easily go down in movie history as classics and this is one of them, the other being Apollo 13. This looks amazing on blu ray by the way too. I did have a copy on dvd, but traded it for this among others and the difference is there to see. This is an absolute cracker of a thriller, and one of the best, if not the best movies about fire out there today, and definitely Ron Howard's finest two hours of filmmaking.

Great dvd brought as like film

My autistic son enjoyed it knowing what the fire engines were like

As cheesy as it gets but a guilty pleasure for some, it's easy to forget how big this movie was when it landed in theatres. The plot is basic enough-two brothers (Kurt Russell and William Balwin) come to terms with their differences as firemen while investigating a killer who is burning his victims. It sets the scene for some major melodrama and a host of improable action set pieces. And director Ron Howard hardly disappoints. With a cast that any director would run through real fire for, he slow motions and bombasts his way through the proceedings with all the deftness of a big block of melty cheese but if you are willing to forgive all that... well it works! Not only that, but it works with some really great little moments sewn in-like De Niro's gruff fire inspector inspecting the debris or the late great Donald Sutherland playing the deranged old serial killer advising on the new crimes.

Good

Action film Excellent special effects Good depicting the courage required by the men of the firestation

Backdraft is still the best film about firemen ever committed to celluloid. Finely acted by all involved and with a top notch supporting cast. The story although mirroring every cop drama ever made runs along nicely giving you enough twists to throw you off the scent and also to talk about long after the final credits have rolled.

This is a classic film so no need to review that. My issue is with how the films presents on screen. I couldn’t get the film to fill the screen. It was like the film transfer was widescreen, but set up for a 4:3 screen, meaning I had black lines to the sides and on top and below. It meant I watched the film on about 75% of my screen. Maybe I should have bought the 4K instead as I assume that problem is not in that.

兄と弟の葛藤と別れ

Gostei muito da compra um filme muito bom tem áudio em português do Brasil no Blu ray 4k uma boa compra

Als 1991 der Action Thriller "Backdraft - Männer, die durchs Feuer gehen" in die Kinos kam, war dieser Film eine einzige Sensation. Zwar gab es schon damals digitale Effekte, doch war das noch weit entfernt von dem, was heute möglich und normal ist. So inszenierte Ron Howard (Splash - Eine Jungfrau am Haken, 1984; Willow, 1988; Apollo 13, 1995; A Beautiful Mind, 2002) einen spektakulären und hochexplosiven Film über Feuerwehrmänner, der in seiner Machart schon sehr nah an der Realität ist, und durch einzigartige Bilder im Kopf bleibt (z.b. der verlassene Löschschlauch, der wie eine aufgerichtete Schlange in der Feuersbrunst sein Wasser verschiesst). Neben dem grandiosen Score von Hans Zimmer, der diesem Film ein einzigartiges Flair gibt, hatte Ron Howard auch noch das Who is Who der Filmbranche vor der Kamera. Stars wie Kurt Russell (Turm des Schreckens, 1975; Die Klapperschlange, 1981; Das Ding aus einer anderen Welt, 1982; Tango & Cash, 1989), Robert De Niro (Hexenkessel, 1973; Taxi Driver, 1976; Heat; 1995; Ronin, 1998), William Baldwin (Flatliners, 1990; Sliver, 1993; Fair Game, 1995; Unter falschem Verdacht, 2000), Donald Sutherland (Das dreckige Dutzend. 1967; MASH, 1970; Die Nadel, 1981; JFK - Tatort Dallas, 1991), Jennifer Jason Leigh (Flash & Blood, 1985; Hitcher - Der Highway Killer, 1986; Weiblich, ledig, jung sucht ..., 1995; Tausend Morgen, 1997), Scott Glenn (Apokalypse Now, 1979; Wenn er in die Hölle will, laß ihn gehen, 1982; Silverado, 1985; Das Bourne Ultimatum, 2007) und Rebecca De Mornay(Einer mit Herz, 1982; Express in die Hölle, 1985; Die Hand an der Wiege, 1992; Identität, 2003) wirkten bei diesem Film mit und sorgten für grandiose schauspielerische Leistungen. Im Kern der Geschichte geht es um ein sehr unterschiedliches Brüderpaar, das es mit einer Serie mysteriöser Brandanschläge zu tun hat. Während der ältere der beiden, Stephen McCaffrey (Kurt Russell) in die Fußstapfen ihren Vaters getreten ist und schon fast ungestüm und tollkühn einen Feuerwehrzug leitet, sucht der jüngere Bruder Brian (William Baldwin) noch seinen Weg. Ebenfalls ausgebildet zum Feuerwehrmann hat er es aber schwer in der Truppe seines Bruders Fuß zu fassen und nimmt deshalb einen Job als Brandermittler bei dem Experten Donald Rimgale, genannt "Shadows" (Robert De Niro) an, und ermittelt mit diesem gemeinsam an der mysteriösen Serie von Brandanschlägen. Als Spuren plötzlich auf seinen Bruder als Täter hinweisen, kommt es zu einem spektakulärem Finale. "Der Film wurde 1992 für den Oscar in den Kategorien Beste visuelle Effekte, Bester Ton und Bester Tonschnitt nominiert. Hans Zimmer gewann für die Filmmusik den BMI Film Music Award." (Wikipedia, Seite "Backdraft"). Das Lexikon des internationalen Films vermerkt zu diesem Film: "Eine Mischung aus privatem Drama und Actionfilm, deren dünne Handlung sich auf emotionale Klischee-Situationen verlässt. Die atemberaubende Inszenierung von Feuersbrünsten stiehlt der Story die Schau.“ (Quelle: Wikipedia). Auch wenn die Beurteilung des Lexikons für mich etwas arg nüchtern klingt, ist der Film damit sehr gut beschrieben. Der Streifen lebt von seinen visuellen Bildern, die das Feuer in einer einzigartigen Weise darstellen. Dennoch ist auch die schauspielerische Leistung grandios, auch wenn die Story vielleicht etwas dünn ist. Dies fällt aber beim Sehen dieses Films nicht auf, da das einzigartige Zusammenspiel von visuellen Effekten, Score und Schauspieler diesen Film zu einem perfekten Filmerlebnis macht. Auf Blu-Ray ist dieser Blockbuster in einer exzellenten Veröffentlichung erschienen. Das Bild ist wirklich fantastisch, auch wenn es nicht ganz an das HD Niveau von Streifen der letzten 5 Jahre herankommt. In Englisch ist der Film im DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 aufgespielt, in Deutsch, Französisch, Italienisch, Spanisch und Japanisch in DTS Surround 5.1. Dazu gibt es noch jede Menge Untertitel (Deutsch, Englisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Spanisch, Japanisch, Kantonesisch, Dänisch, Niederländisch, Finnisch, Griechisch, Isländisch, Koreanisch, Norwegisch, Portugiesisch, Schwedisch und Mandarin), sowie eine Fülle an Bonusmaterial (Einführung von Regisseur Ron Howard, Unveröffentlichte Szenen, Die Initialzündung, Zusammenstellung des Teams, Aufregende Stunts, Das Feuer, Echte Feuerwehrleute - Geschichten aus dem wahren Leben). Insgesamt eine exzellente Veröffentlichung von Universal für einen der absoluten Top-Filme der frühen 90er Jahre. Eine echte Empfehlung für diejenigen, die diesen Klassiker noch nicht kennen sollten.

Film di grande impatto emotivo, un classico del genere ma che non ha le scene spettacolari del primo film Backdraft qualità eccezionale sia audio che video, edizione con scritte in tedesco ma nel menù è disponibile la scelta della lingua Italiana compreso i sottotitoli. A mio avviso il primo Backdraft è migliore sotto tutti i punti di vista.

10/10