Backdraft is a firefighter classic, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its flaws. Well, major flaws. What other firefighter movies do you want to see reviewed?
Most realistic part of that movie was the guy [can't remember the character] doing overhaul on the first fire, no mask, coughing & hacking, pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his coat and lights one up.
“Don’t let it know you’re scared!” Same logic applies to: spiders, snakes, bears, muggers, and Sunday afternoon when you realize work is less than 24 hours away.
I recently heard that the rules for handling electricity are the same rules as for handling explosives: 1) Have fun 2) Be yourself 3) It's more scared of you than you are of it 😂😂😂
I love how the fire extinguisher waits until they throw it into the fire to explode, even though the nozzle had been broken off several second earlier.
Yep, I had once worked in servicing fire extinguishers. I made the mistake of still having some pressure in it, when I unscrewed the nozzle head. Powder instantly goes *everywhere*, no delay like that scene.
A buddy of mine worked the EFX crew for Backdraft and each member on day one got a denim jean jacket with a cool embroidered logo of the movie on the back and each one was lined with fire retardant cloth for safety. One of the best and coolest crew gifts I ever saw in my 30 years of working in the biz
Respiratory protection? Back in the '70s only specialized teams had air packs. I used to watch guys come out of a working fire and cough up liquid smoke onto the sidewalk. These were the days of leather helmets, tall boots and long rubber coats. I would not be surprised if they used the boots to brew coffee, back in the day.
Late 60s early 70's we had aluminum helmets, hip boots and fireball gloves that when your in the heat of it they shrink around your hands......good times
I'm also told there was a bit of an east/west divide in full adoption of breathing apparatus. The eastern US departments valued clarity of communication over the inhalation hazard. If I recall correctly Backdraft was supposed to be Chicago FD, so they probably didn't adopt breathing gear as quickly as say LAFD or SFFD. Would be interesting to see what the philosophy of the real department was at the time the screenplay was written.
When I was a rookie a couple of us were studying first aid and one of our crew burst saying "wtf are you guys doing? Backdraft is on!" So, of course we dropped our books. Just as the big finally fire started we got a call for a structure fire! Needless to say we were pretty keyed up by that point LOL
I'm just imagining you guys running into the fire, jackets unbuttoned, chiseled faces exposed, an axe in one hand, and running from explosions in slow-motion.
@@Tera_GX They used exploding dynamite to put out the oil-well fires in Iraq. They set them off beside the burning geysers so the explosion sucks out all the oxygen and puts out the fire.
@@charlessaint7926 Sometimes they even use the detonation to crimp the pipe and stop more oil from escaping. Guess that takes quite a wallop. Brave as F* thing to do, considering how close they have to get.
Without a doubt, one of the reasons I wanted to be a firefighter. Along with Emergency TV show, this movie was definitely an inspiration, very quoteable and fun even though unrealistic.
The difference being Jack Webb insisted on accuracy over spectacle and using actual incidences for the calls. Yep. A whole generation got i to the biz because of that show. Paramedic since 1980 and still going.
A couple of fun facts about Emergency. Mike Stoker, who played Engineer Mike Stoker, was a real LA County Fireman and engineer. LA County did not mind a couple of actors driving the squad but they insisted every Fire truck or other rig be driven by a real engineer. Mike Stoker was an engineer who happened to have a Screen Actors Guild card. Ron Pinkard. Doctor Mike Morton, was a Navy Corpsman and retired from the Naval Reserves with the rank of Commander. He could do most of the medical procedures on the show and was the unofficial technical advisor. 60's teen heart throb Bobby Sherman quit acting to become a Paramedic after doing one episode on this show. Jack Webb told the writers every incident had to come from a fire department somewhere. Producer Bob Cinader thought that would be boring until he started reading actual logs and said "The best writers could not come up with some of this stuff."
My dad had 45 years in and at his death (cancer) was a deputy chief. I grew up at the fire house. The first scene was me playing with turnouts and every now and then got to go on a run. Now I’m 20 years in still on the truck. I just love breaking shit too much to take the LT exam
My father who was also a firefighter for 20 years passed 2 months ago from cancer me him and my older brother at least once every few months would watch backdraft together and we'd listen to my dad talk about the calls he went to when he was a volly on long island New York idk I just think of him when I see anything related to backdraft and well he's the reason I'm trying to get into firefighting/EMS full time (the EMT basic class I applied for starts in January so that's exciting)
A friend of mine was a new firefighter and he got to go to a special Premier of this movie. Kurt Russel was there and he said Kurt was honestly in awe of every firefighter there. He said Kurt was a genuine nice guy.
Astronauts have Star Trek, fighter pilots have Top Gun, political operatives have The West Wing. Just because a film or TV show isn't realistic doesn't mean it can't inspire people to do the real thing.
Rescue 911 and Backdraft were the two that really got me into wanting to be a firefighter. Became a paramedic instead, but Backdraft is always great even with how over the top and outlandish it is.
My favorite part of that movie is the grocery scene because that is the save-a-lot grocery store my grandfather ran at the time. Idk it is kinda cool knowing that my grandfather gave them the ok to shoot in the store and that it was somewhere I had been even before the movie was shot. Sadly he was offered a spot in the movie as an extra but turned it down.
Yes. The parole hearing scene with Deniro as the fire inspector, when he gently taunts Sutherland, the arsonist into exposing exactly why he should remain in prison, is perfect. The acting by both was superb. Sutherland was chilling and terrifying while speaking so gently. IMHO, this was the best, non-firefighting scene in the film. I served with a medic in the army who was also a volunteer firefighter. He loved this movie, and we would watch it regularly. He'd nitpick all of the mistakes, of course, but were always quiet when we reached the parole board scene because it was so powerful. I definitely understand why firefighters love it so much.
He's my favorite living actor. The breadth is his talent is indescribable-from the arsonist in Backdraft, to the assassin in Hollowpoint, to the pothead professor in Animal House, to the idiot soldier in The Dirty Dozen, he's covered just about every conceivable personality there can be in a movie.
I'm not a firefighter but I'm a new emt. This is a great freaking movie!!! It's never gets old. Thank you Jason for the video! So many great scenes in that movie. The cast hit it out of the park.
I'd always wanted to be a fireman before Backdraft ever came out, but it definitely revived my desire to try even harder to be one. At the time l had been working as a Paramedic but when l saw that movie it really rejuvenated my desire to get into the Fire Service and eventually l finally got the opportunity. It was the best years of my life. Retired July 31st 2022 with 35 years combined service under my belt with 22 years and six months as a fireman. And yeah, like most of you l have the movie poster, DVD and soundtrack in my collection. Keep the videos coming Jason!
Fans of firefighter movies/shows: "I hope Hollywood learns from its mistakes in 'Backdraft.'" Hollywood: produces Station 19 and 9-1-1 on Fox Fans: @#$%!
The only good EMS show is Third Watch, only on the Roku channel now. Their first stuff is very tight tho. It just wasn’t a focus. They shot in NYC. During September-11th. They handled it perfectly.
Backdraft is like watching hunt for the red October. It could happen, we all want it to happen and it's so outlandish that it can't help but to be entertaining.
Considering that at that time CFD still wore only boots , nomex uniform pants and rubber slickers to fight a fire. Air packs were optional. Not sure how the rubber coats didnt melt is beyond me.
If you really got in it, those rubber coats could indeed scorch up very nicely. They could be scalding to the touch for a few minutes afterward. I turned in my nomex coat in 2006, but I kept the rubber one I got from a retiree. I,d take the long coat and boots back in a second.
Yes! Finally! After recommending this multiple times, we finally get a Backdraft video. Even if it is awesome, there's still some real BS moments in it.
Every time we’d be in an elevator we’d always quote the scene when they’re in the high rise and the probie asks what to do if the floor is on fire. Don’t get out 🤣
The investigation aspect was oddly accurate compared to the suppression aspect. Not perfect of course, but there were true things in that like the light bulb thing.
Chicago used hip boots later than any other department in the US, 2006. There are still some videos out there from very recent of their guys not even wearing packs on roofs, let alone using them.
When I was a kid my Dad, volunteer for fighter and first responder, to me to Universal Studios and the Back Draft ride was awesome. I remember that experience the most vividly (and admittedly the dinosaur ride...). It was an awesome experience with my Dad and he made sure to tell me all about fire safety before, during, and after the ride 🥰
I can relate. After watching Dirty Harry, I wanted to be Clint Eastwood - which was awkward because I’m a girl - a girl who likes guys - making it an even more unrealistic dream since I’d essentially be a girl stuck in Clint Eastwood’s body. Like I said - awkward. I ended up being a girl with an irritable disposition and a pretty big mouth 🙃
Work at a station once where a newer member invited his girl over late one night and they reenacted that firehose love scene. Unfortunately he had forgotten that the bay had a motion activated security camera...😆 He was given a short vacation. To my knowledge his girl was too embarrassed to ever come to the station again.
I have been watching this movie for as long as I can remember, even though it came out the year I was born. Both father and grandfather were local volunteers. I wish I could have been in the 3rd generation, but my lack of height would have been a great challenge. I highly enjoy your videos, especially this one that you have dubbed yourself in! Please sir, do not stop bringing awareness and comedic perspective to this career field! To all of you walking that red line, I appreciate y'all, and may you always be kept safe!
Parts of this movie were filmed on a structure built on the outdoor 10m diving tower and 16 ft. Diving well at the Rehm Park pool in Oak Park, Illinois right next to OPFD station #3.
I still say the only truly realistic workplace-based shows ever made were Are You Being Served and Superstore. You can hire a fire, medical, police or courtroom consultant, but with retail you can fill the entire cast and writers' room with people who'd worked in retail right up until they made it big in showbiz by being hired for that show.
Molly Sugden said she made Mrs. Slocum (Slocombe? I forget) as a composite of heads of department that she worked under. My mom bought my daughter the complete set of videos for Christmas one year; she’s the only Gen-Z I know who regularly makes AYBS? references!
My older brother recorded Backdraft on the VCR and watched the tape it for weeks over the summer of his Freshman year in HS. His vernacular was similar to the dialogue from the movie, (e.g., washing the cars, he'd yell charge the line!) he joined the Jr. volunteers then the actual volunteer FD, and then became a paid firefighter- he's been doing it for 25 years now. Backdraft was the single inspiration for his career. That's my brother goddamnit!
I'm not a firefighter, but "Don't let it know you're scared!" is seared I to my memory from the time me and a couple of buddies almost blew ourselves up by throwing plastic bottles full of gasoline into a raging bonfire. Ahhh. One thing I know, no matter where I go, I keep my heart and soul (and eyebrows) in the boondocks.
I remember when i was in if you got your picture in the newspaper or you got on tv. You now owe everyone at the firehouse a pizza party or you have to buy a shitload of ice cream for everyone..
5:00 - Working with Munitioms we have a Safety Brief before every job. As part of that brief, two people are assigned to inspect a minimum of two fire extinguishers and know where they are. Their job is to "fight the fire" if a fire does get started. We joke, "Yeah....explosives on fire. Grab the fire extinguisher, throw it at the fire, and run." Of course fighting the fire is contingent on the size, what fuel is involved (paper in a trash can vs flare), location in relation to explosive materials, and the status of all personnel in the work area. We'll fight to get people out if we can. Also learned from our fire department that if everyone is safe and the explosives aren't going to damage anything outside of the storage area, the department is just going to set up a parimeter and let it burn until it goes out.
22 years ago, I was talking to a newspaper reporter at my job site (I was working as a security guard at the time), and I mentioned I was also a volunteer firefighter. The reporter asked me if firefighting was really like in “Backdraft” (BIG mistake!), and I said, “Are you kidding?! If we did HALF the shit they do in that movie, we’d be dead before we even got into the building!” To this day, my husband and I joke that the best form of entertainment at a firehouse is to throw a bunch of us into the TV room, stick that movie into the Blu-Ray, and watch us pick the movie apart. The result is almost always better than television! But seriously, I LOVE the lunch scene at the firehouse, and I can tell you that all the joking and grab-assing that goes on just shows how tight we are once the guys accept you as part of the gang. I’ve been a “volley” for 23 years now, and I love it as much as I did at the beginning, especially now that we’ve got the next generation to mess with! 😈
I had a boyfriend in high school who was a volunteer fireman in our town. He also loved Backdraft and found it to be inspirational. But the other thing was, the volunteer firemen in our school got to carry the radios to class and run out if there was a big fire. I think they enjoyed that perk!😆😆
I'm unfortunately a little to young to grow up with backdraft, I do love it though, the movie that got me into firefighting was ladder 49. An amazing movie and my all time favorite. Love your content brother, stay safe
I remember when Backdraft came out. All of the Anchorage Fire and Rescue got to see the movie for free. And they had their fire trucks parked outside the theater. It was amazing for the younger me.
Being the old guy my first turn out coat was a duct coat they wetted you down before going in or you became man on fire 3/4 boots fireball gloves and a POS helmet and we rode on tailboards or on hose load and if you even looked at a airpack you were the wimp now after 40yrs things have changed except the helmet still POS to heavy i just leave it the rig
True story. When I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. Mostly because when I was in kindergarten and grade one my elementary school had a simulation rig that the fire department would bring once a year that had light and smoke and the door would warm up. They would then have us go through this simulator to teach us what to do in a fire. I thought this was the coolest job and those firemen were heros. One day my Dad rented Backdraft. I was terrified of being a fireman from that day on... so ya I'm not a fireman. Anyway awesome videos keep them coming you are so creative and fun I love it. Cheers.
He knows he'd better not. Emergency! Is sacred! Plus, its harder to pick apart from the standpoint of its own time; was reasonably accurate and incidentally, was the LAST time any Hollywood production listened to its technical advisor....!
Backdraft is the only movie that ever made me cry...the brotherhood in the fire department field is so heartwarming ❤️ It was also one of my dear uncle's favorite movies (he was in the fire service all his life, from a probie to an air force fire department chief; a great man to look up to, I still miss him terribly)
Backdraft always made me cry as a kid haven’t seen this movie since but the smile it brought when they stuck together and saved people it was heart wrenching
My cousin was in that movie. He was the guy who pulled the wig off the mannequin and kissed its bald head. “I’m afraid you’re a little too late with this one.” He was actually a fireman on the Chicago Fire Department at the time he landed that role. One of the first real acting gigs he got when he started acting. His dad was a rescue diver on the Chicago Fire Department. My dad was a paramedic on the Chicago Fire Department, and actually worked on the movie Backdraft as well. As a side gig as an EMT on set. He brought me on set one night, when they were filming the retirement party scenes, and introduced me to the awesomeness that is Craft Service. The catering buffets for cast and crew. Hollywood money pays for a lot of free food. lol After my dad retired from the CFD, he joined the local Motion Pictures Union and worked in the movie business full time here in Chicago as a set emergency medic. He worked on The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Home Alone, The Negotiator, the tv show E.R. He was even in the first episode of E.R. He worked on everything that was filmed in Chicago in the late 80’s and all through the 90’s.
I've become a bit of a space nerd, and when I watch movies about space I just expect most of it to be wrong. For whatever reason, I assumed Hollywood doing that bad of a job was an exception just applying to that genre. I guess experts cost too much and the public wants to see people with no masks do heroic looking things in the general vicinity of a fire.
I think it's not getting the experts, it's that reality is not as tv entertaining. They don't want to see people in full protective gear, they want to see faces. They don't want to see protocol, they want to see stupid stunts. I do think lack of experts is part of the problem. There are a lot of small things they get wrong, but they probably drive away experts with the other crap they do.
That whole fire extinguisher just reminds me of Kelso on That 70's Show "So I shot another flare at the fire, because you know what they say you have to fight fire with fire."
Weird request: Could you Green screen yourself into the movie Fireproof? It's a Christian film starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter, and I would LOVE to see you pick that one apart. 😂
I had no idea about this film until I read your comment... Then I looked up a few clips... and now I want to find the people responsible for making it and slap them very hard in the face.
When I first saw Backdraft, I had just gone through FF I class. My wife never got to enjoy it between her thinking that this was going to happen to me and me yelling at the TV!
The big thing with Backdraft in europe/germany is, when our guys first saw it they thought "what a rubbish, no fire behaves like that", because we simply weren't getting backdrafts etc. because of the way our houses were build and the relatively low ammount of calls our volly departments get (10-15 a year, the "bigger" departments get maybe 50. Only the biggest in cities that are almost big enough to get a professional fire dept. (above 100.000 inhabitants), get over 100 calls.). Then a few years later, everybody and their cat got saunas, and some building techniques changed, and also seemingly everyone had renovated their houses and we got backdrafts or at least roll overs left and right, because nobody knew how to handle them.
The scene where its raining and he takes his bunker coat off to put on the person stuck in the car before they cut the door is what got me into the fire service.
Yanno, I've become addicted to your sarcasm. It's seriously very awesome. The Backdraft "fire growl" and "fire breathes" and "fire thinks" parts were a bit over the top but so good anyway. And it's Kurt "the tennis shoes" Russell. What's not to like? And the fire hose.......yeah, did they not catch that the fire hose gets dragged through little splinters of GLASS and it catches that stuff? Let's just take a hay roll in a nice razor blade field. Thanks for this channel, I love it.
Most realistic part of that movie was the guy [can't remember the character] doing overhaul on the first fire, no mask, coughing & hacking, pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his coat and lights one up.
Robert deniro I think lol
Adcox lol
it is so true lol
We all laughed hysterically because that was totally true!
100 % legit.
Summary: “I love this movie, it started my career!”
“Don’t do any of it!!!!”
“Don’t let it know you’re scared!”
Same logic applies to: spiders, snakes, bears, muggers, and Sunday afternoon when you realize work is less than 24 hours away.
I recently heard that the rules for handling electricity are the same rules as for handling explosives:
1) Have fun
2) Be yourself
3) It's more scared of you than you are of it
😂😂😂
Thing is: that CAN have an effect on animals and even humans, while fire will give a giant fuck about your feeling when it burns you to a crisp.
Same applies on monthly visits to the mother-in-law.
Also, printers. If they smell fear they'll jam immediately just to ruin your day
@@MaboPete Came her to reply it work with my mother 😂
I love how the fire extinguisher waits until they throw it into the fire to explode, even though the nozzle had been broken off several second earlier.
Right. Like, if they wanted it to possibly explode shouldn't they have left the nozzle on. Breaking it off just gives it a hole to vent through 🤷♂️🤔🤣
Pressurized gases are just polite like that
Guys, it works just like a grenade. Just pull the pin to start the timer, right? ,... right?
Hiw about the visible shockwave?
Yep, I had once worked in servicing fire extinguishers. I made the mistake of still having some pressure in it, when I unscrewed the nozzle head. Powder instantly goes *everywhere*, no delay like that scene.
Backdraft is the top gun for firefighters, can't do any of that shit either but still looks cool lol
Now that explains why I came across this video while I was surfing through Top Gun scenes.
Who knows! I might run into Days Of Thunder next.
Like rounders for poker players..
It's also Die Hard, and Lethal Weapon, and... Well most cop movies.
but fuckit, we still love them.
that pretty much sums it up very accurately
@@PersistentPureheart Days of Thunder is like backdraft for Nascar. Now that's a thought that keeps me warm and cozy.
A buddy of mine worked the EFX crew for Backdraft and each member on day one got a denim jean jacket with a cool embroidered logo of the movie on the back and each one was lined with fire retardant cloth for safety. One of the best and coolest crew gifts I ever saw in my 30 years of working in the biz
IATSE?
@@ellencameron3775 EFX like blowing or burning stuff up EFX
Like are you or your buddy IATSE?
Your mom works in the biz!!!
I’m sorry… Jim Beam made me say that. 😂
@@ellencameron3775 didn't know the union, so I think that answers your question and the veracity of the entire statement.
Respiratory protection? Back in the '70s only specialized teams had air packs. I used to watch guys come out of a working fire and cough up liquid smoke onto the sidewalk. These were the days of leather helmets, tall boots and long rubber coats. I would not be surprised if they used the boots to brew coffee, back in the day.
Late 60s early 70's we had aluminum helmets, hip boots and fireball gloves that when your in the heat of it they shrink around your hands......good times
Oh wow.
@@flyingled3176 wow
And we all lived to tell the tale! You yungun's don't know how easy you have it! **emphysemic cough**
I'm also told there was a bit of an east/west divide in full adoption of breathing apparatus. The eastern US departments valued clarity of communication over the inhalation hazard. If I recall correctly Backdraft was supposed to be Chicago FD, so they probably didn't adopt breathing gear as quickly as say LAFD or SFFD. Would be interesting to see what the philosophy of the real department was at the time the screenplay was written.
When I was a rookie a couple of us were studying first aid and one of our crew burst saying "wtf are you guys doing? Backdraft is on!" So, of course we dropped our books. Just as the big finally fire started we got a call for a structure fire! Needless to say we were pretty keyed up by that point LOL
I'm just imagining you guys running into the fire, jackets unbuttoned, chiseled faces exposed, an axe in one hand, and running from explosions in slow-motion.
Did you remember not to show fear?
@@Vesperitis XD
The most unrealistic thing you said was being invited to watch tv as a probie and actually doing it
The words you never say are to the point of nothing's going to happen now
All you need is Kurt Russell yelling at the fire, "Yeah. F*ck you, too!" then throws a stick of dynamite at the fire.
🤣
This kills the fire
@@Tera_GX They used exploding dynamite to put out the oil-well fires in Iraq. They set them off beside the burning geysers so the explosion sucks out all the oxygen and puts out the fire.
@@charlessaint7926 John Wayne did it when they made the movie about the dude who invented all this.
@@charlessaint7926 Sometimes they even use the detonation to crimp the pipe and stop more oil from escaping. Guess that takes quite a wallop.
Brave as F* thing to do, considering how close they have to get.
Without a doubt, one of the reasons I wanted to be a firefighter. Along with Emergency TV show, this movie was definitely an inspiration, very quoteable and fun even though unrealistic.
The difference being Jack Webb insisted on accuracy over spectacle and using actual incidences for the calls. Yep. A whole generation got i to the biz because of that show. Paramedic since 1980 and still going.
get him on some D5W.. STAT!
"Emergency!" was almost mandatory watching for Gen Exers. Loved that show back in the day....
I remember that opening clip, seeing the syringe squirt to remove air bubbles, not knowing why, and thinking "He's wasting some"
A couple of fun facts about Emergency. Mike Stoker, who played Engineer Mike Stoker, was a real LA County Fireman and engineer. LA County did not mind a couple of actors driving the squad but they insisted every Fire truck or other rig be driven by a real engineer. Mike Stoker was an engineer who happened to have a Screen Actors Guild card. Ron Pinkard. Doctor Mike Morton, was a Navy Corpsman and retired from the Naval Reserves with the rank of Commander. He could do most of the medical procedures on the show and was the unofficial technical advisor. 60's teen heart throb Bobby Sherman quit acting to become a Paramedic after doing one episode on this show. Jack Webb told the writers every incident had to come from a fire department somewhere. Producer Bob Cinader thought that would be boring until he started reading actual logs and said "The best writers could not come up with some of this stuff."
My dad had 45 years in and at his death (cancer) was a deputy chief. I grew up at the fire house. The first scene was me playing with turnouts and every now and then got to go on a run. Now I’m 20 years in still on the truck. I just love breaking shit too much to take the LT exam
My father who was also a firefighter for 20 years passed 2 months ago from cancer me him and my older brother at least once every few months would watch backdraft together and we'd listen to my dad talk about the calls he went to when he was a volly on long island New York idk I just think of him when I see anything related to backdraft and well he's the reason I'm trying to get into firefighting/EMS full time (the EMT basic class I applied for starts in January so that's exciting)
I'm so sorry for your loss, guys.😔
@@LilDuckerso, how's the training going mate?
A friend of mine was a new firefighter and he got to go to a special Premier of this movie. Kurt Russel was there and he said Kurt was honestly in awe of every firefighter there. He said Kurt was a genuine nice guy.
Astronauts have Star Trek, fighter pilots have Top Gun, political operatives have The West Wing. Just because a film or TV show isn't realistic doesn't mean it can't inspire people to do the real thing.
Yep
Correction/clarification: Political operators have Veep.
As a kid I LOVED this movie 😂 was the first time I ever thought “wow it’s not only soldiers and cops that are badass”
Rescue 911 and Backdraft were the two that really got me into wanting to be a firefighter. Became a paramedic instead, but Backdraft is always great even with how over the top and outlandish it is.
William Shatner narrating true stories, loved the show
My favorite part of that movie is the grocery scene because that is the save-a-lot grocery store my grandfather ran at the time. Idk it is kinda cool knowing that my grandfather gave them the ok to shoot in the store and that it was somewhere I had been even before the movie was shot. Sadly he was offered a spot in the movie as an extra but turned it down.
Should have done it
I love Donald Sutherland in this movie. He is one of those actors who can play a really creepy bad guy.
with those teeth lmao.
@@unidenprogrammer3867 Steve Buscemi
Yes. The parole hearing scene with Deniro as the fire inspector, when he gently taunts Sutherland, the arsonist into exposing exactly why he should remain in prison, is perfect. The acting by both was superb. Sutherland was chilling and terrifying while speaking so gently. IMHO, this was the best, non-firefighting scene in the film. I served with a medic in the army who was also a volunteer firefighter. He loved this movie, and we would watch it regularly. He'd nitpick all of the mistakes, of course, but were always quiet when we reached the parole board scene because it was so powerful. I definitely understand why firefighters love it so much.
He's my favorite living actor. The breadth is his talent is indescribable-from the arsonist in Backdraft, to the assassin in Hollowpoint, to the pothead professor in Animal House, to the idiot soldier in The Dirty Dozen, he's covered just about every conceivable personality there can be in a movie.
I’m a nurse and that’s how I feel when I watch medical dramas/movies/shows, etc. Well played sir as always.
I'm not a firefighter but I'm a new emt. This is a great freaking movie!!! It's never gets old. Thank you Jason for the video! So many great scenes in that movie. The cast hit it out of the park.
I'm a new EMT too, how are you liking the job so far?
It would be interesting to see your take on the show Emergency being it was based on real calls and they tried to make it as realistic as possible.
I loved Emergency!
I would like that too. I am sure some of the episodes are ripe for commentary!
Let's leave Johnny and Roy out of this they have stood the test of time this year Mark's the 50th anniversary of the show
The woman who was having trouble breathing because her girdle was too tight and when he cut it off it smacked him in the face, was pretty realistic.
@@seanconlin8712 good grief! I didn't know it's been 50 years. I loved that show. And Adam 12, the LA police show.
I'd always wanted to be a fireman before Backdraft ever came out, but it definitely revived my desire to try even harder to be one. At the time l had been working as a Paramedic but when l saw that movie it really rejuvenated my desire to get into the Fire Service and eventually l finally got the opportunity. It was the best years of my life.
Retired July 31st 2022 with 35 years combined service under my belt with 22 years and six months as a fireman.
And yeah, like most of you l have the movie poster, DVD and soundtrack in my collection.
Keep the videos coming Jason!
Backdraft is the greatest fire department movie ever made, and nothing will change my mind about that!
I know every word of this movie. My son (now a firefighter) watched it on repeat........forever
Fans of firefighter movies/shows: "I hope Hollywood learns from its mistakes in 'Backdraft.'"
Hollywood: produces Station 19 and 9-1-1 on Fox
Fans: @#$%!
Best FF tv show after “Emergency!” Was “Rescue Me” with Dennis Leary. Lou. Black Sean. White Sean. Mikey. Yep!
@@chainsaw5vent Rescue me is my favorite tv show as of right now, it’s pulled me in and I can’t escape it’s grip
The only good EMS show is Third Watch, only on the Roku channel now. Their first stuff is very tight tho. It just wasn’t a focus.
They shot in NYC. During September-11th.
They handled it perfectly.
@@bkane573 , agree completely! "Third watch" series are hilarious! Even here in Russia we (ff and ems medics) love it!
If we wanted realism, we'd watch reality TV.
/s
Watching EMERGENCY! was the thing that made my friend become a firefighter AND paramedic. Luckily, he made it to retirement alive.
that fire extinguisher one comes straight out of 40k logic
40k logic would have been reducing the building to rubble from orbit. There can't be a structure fire without a structure.
I was inspired by Johnny Gage and Roy Desoto. “Emergency!” Is still the best!
Forever and ever!!
It has stood the test of time 50 years
Backdraft is like watching hunt for the red October. It could happen, we all want it to happen and it's so outlandish that it can't help but to be entertaining.
Considering that at that time CFD still wore only boots , nomex uniform pants and rubber slickers to fight a fire. Air packs were optional. Not sure how the rubber coats didnt melt is beyond me.
They used them until 2006, in fact, though the coats were made of the same stuff modern gear is today by then, at least.
If you really got in it, those rubber coats could indeed scorch up very nicely. They could be scalding to the touch for a few minutes afterward. I turned in my nomex coat in 2006, but I kept the rubber one I got from a retiree. I,d take the long coat and boots back in a second.
What he really needs to do is green screen himself into Ladder 49 aswell. I'd love to see how that goes.
That was a good movie
There comes a point where the rule of cool just takes over.
@Amenadiel stop
Yes! Finally! After recommending this multiple times, we finally get a Backdraft video. Even if it is awesome, there's still some real BS moments in it.
"Its cool but it will still kill you."
Backdraft is either makes me roll my eyes or laugh but some moments make me go okay 😌🙂
For me, it was the TV show emergency. That’s what got me started.
Every time we’d be in an elevator we’d always quote the scene when they’re in the high rise and the probie asks what to do if the floor is on fire. Don’t get out 🤣
Backdraft was one of those movies i grew up watching with my grandpa, he and my dad were for a period both firefighters, and my uncle still is.
Manly men and awesome soundtrack! I haven't watched it in years but I probably still have it memorized.
The investigation aspect was oddly accurate compared to the suppression aspect. Not perfect of course, but there were true things in that like the light bulb thing.
Man I love this guy
I wanna join his department just to hear all the crazy shit that comes out of his mouth everyday
Me too
Dude I've loved that movie from the first time I saw it.
Thank you so much for your service and dedication to saving lives
Chicago used hip boots later than any other department in the US, 2006. There are still some videos out there from very recent of their guys not even wearing packs on roofs, let alone using them.
When I was a kid my Dad, volunteer for fighter and first responder, to me to Universal Studios and the Back Draft ride was awesome. I remember that experience the most vividly (and admittedly the dinosaur ride...). It was an awesome experience with my Dad and he made sure to tell me all about fire safety before, during, and after the ride 🥰
Might be unrealistic. Still one of my all time favorites because it’s awesome and got me started in the fire service.
“You go, we go!”
That phrase is like an anthem.
I can relate. After watching Dirty Harry, I wanted to be Clint Eastwood - which was awkward because I’m a girl - a girl who likes guys - making it an even more unrealistic dream since I’d essentially be a girl stuck in Clint Eastwood’s body. Like I said - awkward. I ended up being a girl with an irritable disposition and a pretty big mouth 🙃
Hey, if you can't start a conversation by talking about a Smith & Wesson Model 29, then it's a not conversation that's worth your time anyways.
@@yocapo32 😂
This. Is. A Mood.
@@TotallyHuman 🤣🤣🤣
I love the extinguisher grenade strategy. Always guaranteed to work.
Work at a station once where a newer member invited his girl over late one night and they reenacted that firehose love scene. Unfortunately he had forgotten that the bay had a motion activated security camera...😆 He was given a short vacation. To my knowledge his girl was too embarrassed to ever come to the station again.
I have been watching this movie for as long as I can remember, even though it came out the year I was born. Both father and grandfather were local volunteers. I wish I could have been in the 3rd generation, but my lack of height would have been a great challenge. I highly enjoy your videos, especially this one that you have dubbed yourself in! Please sir, do not stop bringing awareness and comedic perspective to this career field! To all of you walking that red line, I appreciate y'all, and may you always be kept safe!
Parts of this movie were filmed on a structure built on the outdoor 10m diving tower and 16 ft. Diving well at the Rehm Park pool in Oak Park, Illinois right next to OPFD station #3.
Seriously, I can't get enough of your videos, keep up the great work :)
I still say the only truly realistic workplace-based shows ever made were Are You Being Served and Superstore. You can hire a fire, medical, police or courtroom consultant, but with retail you can fill the entire cast and writers' room with people who'd worked in retail right up until they made it big in showbiz by being hired for that show.
Molly Sugden said she made Mrs. Slocum (Slocombe? I forget) as a composite of heads of department that she worked under.
My mom bought my daughter the complete set of videos for Christmas one year; she’s the only Gen-Z I know who regularly makes AYBS? references!
Most realistic workplace movie is "Waiting". If you have worked food service it is a Documentary, if you haven't it is a Horror movie.
Ladder 49 next ??
Good story telling can survive technical inaccuracies and still achieve inspiration and entertainment, fun episode
My older brother recorded Backdraft on the VCR and watched the tape it for weeks over the summer of his Freshman year in HS. His vernacular was similar to the dialogue from the movie, (e.g., washing the cars, he'd yell charge the line!) he joined the Jr. volunteers then the actual volunteer FD, and then became a paid firefighter- he's been doing it for 25 years now. Backdraft was the single inspiration for his career. That's my brother goddamnit!
I'm not a firefighter, but "Don't let it know you're scared!" is seared I to my memory from the time me and a couple of buddies almost blew ourselves up by throwing plastic bottles full of gasoline into a raging bonfire.
Ahhh. One thing I know, no matter where I go, I keep my heart and soul (and eyebrows) in the boondocks.
Yessir. I agree
Fun fact: I was an extra - along with about 300 others - in the funeral parade scene.
I remember when i was in if you got your picture in the newspaper or you got on tv. You now owe everyone at the firehouse a pizza party or you have to buy a shitload of ice cream for everyone..
So Backdraft does for firefighters what Indiana Jones does for archeologists?
Actually… I pour water on myself with my helmet after each fire because of this movie!
5:00 - Working with Munitioms we have a Safety Brief before every job. As part of that brief, two people are assigned to inspect a minimum of two fire extinguishers and know where they are. Their job is to "fight the fire" if a fire does get started.
We joke, "Yeah....explosives on fire. Grab the fire extinguisher, throw it at the fire, and run." Of course fighting the fire is contingent on the size, what fuel is involved (paper in a trash can vs flare), location in relation to explosive materials, and the status of all personnel in the work area. We'll fight to get people out if we can.
Also learned from our fire department that if everyone is safe and the explosives aren't going to damage anything outside of the storage area, the department is just going to set up a parimeter and let it burn until it goes out.
22 years ago, I was talking to a newspaper reporter at my job site (I was working as a security guard at the time), and I mentioned I was also a volunteer firefighter. The reporter asked me if firefighting was really like in “Backdraft” (BIG mistake!), and I said, “Are you kidding?! If we did HALF the shit they do in that movie, we’d be dead before we even got into the building!”
To this day, my husband and I joke that the best form of entertainment at a firehouse is to throw a bunch of us into the TV room, stick that movie into the Blu-Ray, and watch us pick the movie apart. The result is almost always better than television!
But seriously, I LOVE the lunch scene at the firehouse, and I can tell you that all the joking and grab-assing that goes on just shows how tight we are once the guys accept you as part of the gang. I’ve been a “volley” for 23 years now, and I love it as much as I did at the beginning, especially now that we’ve got the next generation to mess with! 😈
I had a boyfriend in high school who was a volunteer fireman in our town. He also loved Backdraft and found it to be inspirational. But the other thing was, the volunteer firemen in our school got to carry the radios to class and run out if there was a big fire. I think they enjoyed that perk!😆😆
So it's basically it's Top Gun for Firefighters.
Loved that film! Especially his concern for his brother ❤️
I'm unfortunately a little to young to grow up with backdraft, I do love it though, the movie that got me into firefighting was ladder 49. An amazing movie and my all time favorite. Love your content brother, stay safe
I remember when Backdraft came out. All of the Anchorage Fire and Rescue got to see the movie for free. And they had their fire trucks parked outside the theater. It was amazing for the younger me.
I love the green screening! It's very very funny!
BACKDRAFT!! Greatest comedy ever filmed, but then there was the Towering Inferno!!!!!👨🚒
Being the old guy my first turn out coat was a duct coat they wetted you down before going in or you became man on fire 3/4 boots fireball gloves and a POS helmet and we rode on tailboards or on hose load and if you even looked at a airpack you were the wimp now after 40yrs things have changed except the helmet still POS to heavy i just leave it the rig
The firefighting was actually the friends we made across the way
Back draft is an educational movie, in what NOT to do during a structure fire
True story. When I was a kid I wanted to be a fireman when I grew up. Mostly because when I was in kindergarten and grade one my elementary school had a simulation rig that the fire department would bring once a year that had light and smoke and the door would warm up. They would then have us go through this simulator to teach us what to do in a fire. I thought this was the coolest job and those firemen were heros. One day my Dad rented Backdraft. I was terrified of being a fireman from that day on... so ya I'm not a fireman. Anyway awesome videos keep them coming you are so creative and fun I love it. Cheers.
Do "Emergency!"
Awesome! 👌 Do the TV show Emergency! next! Then the haters will come after you with their torches & pitchforks!!!🤣
He knows he'd better not. Emergency! Is sacred!
Plus, its harder to pick apart from the standpoint of its own time; was reasonably accurate and incidentally, was the LAST time any Hollywood production listened to its technical advisor....!
@@RICDirector Eh, M*A*S*H did pretty well in that regard, but yeah, after that...
So you can't use a fire extinguisher as a hand grenade ?
Just image what would happen if they scuba tanks instead!
Well, not that kind. Fire grenades were a thing in the early 1900s and are kind of making a comeback...
Backdraft is the only movie that ever made me cry...the brotherhood in the fire department field is so heartwarming ❤️
It was also one of my dear uncle's favorite movies (he was in the fire service all his life, from a probie to an air force fire department chief; a great man to look up to, I still miss him terribly)
Back draft is pretty good but I think ladder 49 is better
Backdraft always made me cry as a kid haven’t seen this movie since but the smile it brought when they stuck together and saved people it was heart wrenching
Just wait for him to cover the 9-1-1 show. And it’s spin off. My dad loses his shit with how unrealistic it is
He actually did, and more than once.
My cousin was in that movie. He was the guy who pulled the wig off the mannequin and kissed its bald head. “I’m afraid you’re a little too late with this one.” He was actually a fireman on the Chicago Fire Department at the time he landed that role. One of the first real acting gigs he got when he started acting. His dad was a rescue diver on the Chicago Fire Department. My dad was a paramedic on the Chicago Fire Department, and actually worked on the movie Backdraft as well. As a side gig as an EMT on set. He brought me on set one night, when they were filming the retirement party scenes, and introduced me to the awesomeness that is Craft Service. The catering buffets for cast and crew. Hollywood money pays for a lot of free food. lol After my dad retired from the CFD, he joined the local Motion Pictures Union and worked in the movie business full time here in Chicago as a set emergency medic. He worked on The Untouchables, The Fugitive, Home Alone, The Negotiator, the tv show E.R. He was even in the first episode of E.R. He worked on everything that was filmed in Chicago in the late 80’s and all through the 90’s.
Another good movie to review.
The Towering Inferno (1974)
Skyscraper fire movie featuring Paul Newman & Steve McQueen.
70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Can confirm. 10 year old me saw this movie and was like "Yeah. That is what I want to do when I grow up."
I've become a bit of a space nerd, and when I watch movies about space I just expect most of it to be wrong. For whatever reason, I assumed Hollywood doing that bad of a job was an exception just applying to that genre. I guess experts cost too much and the public wants to see people with no masks do heroic looking things in the general vicinity of a fire.
They hire experts. But just ignore them,
I think it's not getting the experts, it's that reality is not as tv entertaining. They don't want to see people in full protective gear, they want to see faces. They don't want to see protocol, they want to see stupid stunts.
I do think lack of experts is part of the problem. There are a lot of small things they get wrong, but they probably drive away experts with the other crap they do.
And yet, ironically, the director of "Backdraft" went on to make the best space movie of all time.
@@anniesama5729 yes. However whenever something goes wrong it comes down to, experts were ignored
@@seanhartnett79 yeah any experts hired probably left because they weren't going to be a part of that BS
That whole fire extinguisher just reminds me of Kelso on That 70's Show "So I shot another flare at the fire, because you know what they say you have to fight fire with fire."
Weird request: Could you Green screen yourself into the movie Fireproof? It's a Christian film starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter, and I would LOVE to see you pick that one apart. 😂
Yeah! I was going to suggest this too 🤣
I had no idea about this film until I read your comment... Then I looked up a few clips... and now I want to find the people responsible for making it and slap them very hard in the face.
I actually believe Fireproof is more realistic than Backdraft, but still not totally of course.
Thank you for respecting the classics
When I first saw Backdraft, I had just gone through FF I class. My wife never got to enjoy it between her thinking that this was going to happen to me and me yelling at the TV!
I like the way how the put a fire hose through a car windows as well
FDC: "Backdraft is the reason a huge portion of us ended up in this business"
Me: "Arson?"!
The big thing with Backdraft in europe/germany is, when our guys first saw it they thought "what a rubbish, no fire behaves like that", because we simply weren't getting backdrafts etc. because of the way our houses were build and the relatively low ammount of calls our volly departments get (10-15 a year, the "bigger" departments get maybe 50. Only the biggest in cities that are almost big enough to get a professional fire dept. (above 100.000 inhabitants), get over 100 calls.). Then a few years later, everybody and their cat got saunas, and some building techniques changed, and also seemingly everyone had renovated their houses and we got backdrafts or at least roll overs left and right, because nobody knew how to handle them.
"God, that feels great!" **demonic giggle**
The scene where its raining and he takes his bunker coat off to put on the person stuck in the car before they cut the door is what got me into the fire service.
3:20 Hey man I was up there doing it!!! God that feels great. (Baffles hysterically)
Yanno, I've become addicted to your sarcasm. It's seriously very awesome. The Backdraft "fire growl" and "fire breathes" and "fire thinks" parts were a bit over the top but so good anyway. And it's Kurt "the tennis shoes" Russell. What's not to like? And the fire hose.......yeah, did they not catch that the fire hose gets dragged through little splinters of GLASS and it catches that stuff? Let's just take a hay roll in a nice razor blade field.
Thanks for this channel, I love it.
Man that movie got me into the job... It was the best 21 years of my life!
Backdraft is basically an instructional video on what not to do in a fire. I knew this 19 years ago when I became a firefighter.
What’s really funny is I’m pretty sure some of the actors actually went thru the academy
I come from a family with lots of firefighters. I am so proud of them all❤️
Your laughter.... i love it 👏👏
The pension...that's why we really do it. That and the awesome schedule.