Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 20, 2026

Released to moderate success in 2004, Jay Russell's post-9/11 firefighter drama Ladder 49 was issued on DVD the following year and Blu-ray in 2007 by Disney under their Touchstone imprint. The latter was a decent early-format disc whose lossless audio track carried most of the weight and now, almost 20 years later, the same holds true for Sony's "new" MOD (pressed) Blu-ray, which turns out to be nothing more than a sidestep from that old disc with very similar A/V merits and the exact same bonus features. As Disney's Blu-ray has since gone out-of-print, it's great that Ladder 49 is still available... but this is a pretty lazy effort and hopefully not a sign of things to come.

Essentially, Ladder 49 is the story of Jack Morrison (Joaquin Phoenix), a Baltimore firefighter who's critically injured during a nighttime blaze. While his fellow firefighters -- including captain Mike Kennedy (John Travolta) -- do everything in their power to rescue him, the tale of Jack's career and personal life plays out via flashbacks: dating, marriage, kids, personal tragedy... the works. While the story on its own isn't necessarily a major selling point, the performances are generally engaging and effective. Its pacing is solid as well: while the first two-thirds of Ladder 49 favors a slower, more deliberate series of everyday events, its more melodramatic third act picks up the pace quite nicely.

For a full synopsis and critique of Ladder 49, please see Martin Liebman's 2007 Blu-ray review which, if it were a person, would be old enough to become an actual firefighter by now. As suggested above, I'm largely in agreement with Marty's viewpoints and consider it a good-not-great drama with predictable plot points -- it received a little heat (pun intended) back in the day for its clichéd story and somewhat hokey post-9/11 patriotism, but these borderline quaint elements don't bother me as much now. It's not enough to warrant a full-on reevaluation, but those who never saw Ladder 49 should at least consider it a passable drama with a solid cast and well-done action sequences.

Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

It's pretty obvious from a spot-check comparison with Disney's 2007 Blu-ray that Sony's MOD (pressed) disc isn't an identical presentation, but one that clearly comes from the same DVD-era master. Simply put, this 1080p transfer has all the hallmarks of an early-format catalog title, including a generally flat appearance that more closely resembles video than film, and as such it doesn't have much depth or definition to speak of. It's also a touch darker than Sony's disc (which was already a bit dark to begin with), though admittedly seems a little tighter around the edges in the way that minimal grain levels are processed. Framing is near-identical, with Sony's Blu-ray looking more like true 1.85:1 rather than Disney's disc which was opened up by a few pixels. Not that it really matters, but it's honestly a toss-up overall: Sony's disc might come out slightly ahead if I had to pick a winner... but I'm sticking with the same modest 3.5/5 rating that Marty awarded Disney's Blu-ray in 2007, which is actually being a little generous.

Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix plays like a simple port of Disney's lossless LPCM 5.1 track from 2007, a fantastic effort for its time that still sounds great. Please note that the secondary Spanish track gets a courtesy bump to lossless now, but the French track has been dropped. Optional subtitles are provided in all three languages, however.

Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with familiar cover artwork. All five of the modest 2007 bonus features are carried over as well -- they're detailed in Marty's linked review.

• Audio Commentary - With director Jay Russell and editor Bud Smith

• The Making of Ladder 49 - Three-part featurette

• Everyday Heroes

• Deleted Scenes

• "Shine Your Light" - Music video by Robbie Robertson

Ladder 49 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jay Russell's post-9/11 firefighter drama Ladder 49 is a good-not-great effort with admittedly solid performances and well-staged action, but its overly familiar format and clichéd plot points still don't do it any favors. Still, there's a certain charm here, at least enough to consider it worth seeking out if you're a fan of the cast and subject matter. That said, it was already released on Blu-ray by Disney in 2007, and this "new" Sony MOD (pressed) Blu-ray is more of a sidestep than anything else. Featuring more or less the same A/V merits, identical bonus features, and a laughably high price tag (this should be well under $20), it's a tough one to recommend for obvious reasons.