The disaster movies about fire accidents feature the firefighters as heroes. When it comes to the memorable firefighter movies, the scene of smoke-jumpers saving other people’s lives risking their own lives comes to mind. In the evolution of time, progressive film technology continues to present the explosions in more realistic ways. Today's article covers the 10 best movies to remember about firefighters.
Top 10 firefighter movies of all time
Only the Brave (2017)
American Biographical Drama - IMDB: 7.6
This film is centered on the heartbreaking incident of the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire. 19 firefighters of Granite Mountain Hotshots Fire were killed in the accident in Prescott, Arizona.
The screenplay of the film originated from Sean Flynn's No Exit article in the GQ magazine, which was written by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren. Director Joseph Kosinski led a team of famous stars. The team includes Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, James Badge Dale, Miles Teller, Taylor Kitsch, Jennifer Connelly, and Andie MacDowell.
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Burn (2012)
American Documentary- IMDB: 7.4
The film has a long subtitle and that is- One Year on the Frontline of the Battle to Save Detroit. The movie literally shows the battle with the fires in the city of Detroit, which kept happening one after another.
The firefighters of Engine Company 50 on the frontline had a miserable life after the fire. The film's producer and director Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez have shown those facts on the full-length screen. The film’s executive producers were Steve Tihanyi, Denis Leary, Jim Serpico, and Morgan Neville.
Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
South Korean Fantasy Action - IMDB: 7.2
Along with the Gods is a two-part film, the first part of which was titled 49 Days. The story is taken from Joo Ho-min's webtoon series of the same name. The plot of this fantasy movie revolves around the life after the death of a firefighter, where three guides help him reach his goal.
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The film, directed by Kim Yong-hwa, stars Ha Jung-woo, Kim Hyang-gi, Cha Tae-hyun, and Ju Ji-hoon. This film had possessed the third position among the highest-grossing films in South Korean cinema history till May 2019.
Ladder 49 (2004)
American Disaster Thriller - IMDB: 6.5
The movie, directed by Jay Russell, touched the hearts of the viewers. Especially the theme song titled Shine Your Light gained a lot of popularity. Lewis Colick is the main contributor behind the heartbreaking story of the film.
According to the storyline, a firefighter was severely injured in the blaze and trapped in a warehouse while trying to put out the fire. Then his colleagues set out on a mission to rescue him.
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The film stars John Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix in the lead roles. Their co-stars were Morris Chestnut, Robert Patrick, Balthazar Getty, Jay Hernandez, and Jacinda Barrett.
The Tower (2012)
South Korean Disaster Film - IMDB: 6.5
Kim Ji-hoon directed the movie, inspired by the 1984 Hollywood classic The Towering Inferno. While shooting the cinema, Ji-hoon exemplified the horrors of being trapped inside Building 63, a skyscraper on Yueido Island in Seoul. The movie is scripted by Kim Sang-don and Heo Jun-Seok.
The movie shows a horrible fire in a luxurious skyscraper during Christmas. The dramatic interactions between the characters of the movie revolve around this accident.
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The film cast includes Kim Sang-Kyung, Sol Kyung-gu, and Son Ye-jin.
As the Light Goes Out (2014)
Hong Kong Disaster Film - IMDB: 6.2
Directed by Derek Kwok, the film was written by Kwok himself, Jill Leung, and Philip Yung. The cast of the cinema includes Nicholas Tse, Simon Yam, Hu Jun, William Chan, and Shawn Yue.
The movie tells the story of firefighters of the Pillar Point Department who try to control a huge blaze that could plunge the whole of Hong Kong into darkness.
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Famous actor-filmmaker Jackie Chan has appeared in a scene in the movie.
Fireheart (2022)
Animated Adventure Comedy - IMDB: 6.1
A 16-year-old girl dreams of becoming the world's first female firefighter. In a horrific situation, she joined the ladder-men team in the disguise of a boy to save the whole city, including her father, from the mysterious Arson.
This is the story of the Firehart film, written by Lauren Zeitoun, Jennica Harper, and Daphne Ballon. The main story, however, was Zeitoun and Harper's own, and co-authored with Lisa Hunter. Zeitoun himself directed the movie with Theodore Ty. All the interesting characters in the movie are voiced by Olivia Cooke, William Shatner, Laurie Holden, and Kenneth Branagh.
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World Trade Center (2006)
American Docudrama - IMDB: 6
This film is actually a real-life experience of some police officers during the 2001 world-shaking Nine-Eleven incident. Andrea Berloff turned the experience into a movie screenplay. The officers had to go through horrific situations inside the ruins of the World Trade Center famed as the Twin Towers until they were rescued that day.
The film stars Nicolas Cage, Michael Shannon, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, and Stephen Dorff under the direction of Oliver Stone.
Those Who Wish Me Dead (2021)
American Action Thriller - IMDB: 6
Famous sensational star Angelina Jolie is seen in the role of a smoke jumper in this movie presented by Warner Bros. As the only witness to the assassination of his father, a little boy is chased by the killers. To escape from them he escapes into the wilderness, where his only companion is a smoke jumper.
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Michael Koryta was the original author of the story of this suspense film. The screenplay was co-written by Charles Leavitt and Taylor Sheridan with Koryta. Apart from the writing, Sheridan also did the direction part. Jolie's co-stars include Nicholas Hoult, Aidan Gillen, Medina Senghore, Jon Bernthal, and child artist Finn Little.
Skyscraper (2018)
American Action Thriller - IMDB: 5.8
Actor Dwayne Johnson monikered as ‘The Rock’ is seen crawling a Skyscraper in this film. It was director Rawson Marshall Thurber's second work with The Rock. Thurber has both directed the movie and written its screenplay.
The story of the cinema follows former FBI agent Will Sawyer, who lost his leg while on duty and did not leave the rescue profession. But this time he has to rescue his family from the skyscraper in Hong Kong that fell victim to Arson.
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The co-stars of Johnson in the movie are Neve Campbell, Noah Taylor, Chin Han, Byron Mann, Roland Moller, Hannah Quinlivan, and Pablo Schreiber.
Piling up
In addition to the eye-catchy visuals, these 10 best firefighter movies have also weaved some great stories. Fire rescuers have to deal with their personal lives as well as the heavy responsibility of saving lives.
Consequently, their whole entity is totally intertwined with the firefighting profession. The ladder-man movies give a taste of different dramas from different perspectives by presenting these real-life heroic characters as protagonists.