Themes: Race Against Time, Escape From Prison, Kidnapping
Main Cast: Howie Long, Scott Glenn, William Forsythe, Suzy Amis, Christianne Hirt
Release Year: 1998
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
This Chris Soth screenplay is directed by Dean Semler, the Oscar-winning Dances With Wolves cinematographer who also did cinematography for Waterworld and Last Action Hero. The film's action hero is Howie Long (Broken Arrow), Fox Sports commentator and former NFL star. Wyoming firefighter Jesse Graves (Long) leads a team of smoke-jumpers who parachute into forest fires. Inside a penitentiary, killer Earl Shaye (William Forsythe) devises an escape plan in order to recover a hidden $37 million. He murders a fellow inmate and takes his place in a group of convicts headed out to fight a forest fire. They make an escape, pose as visiting Canadian firefighters, and are ready to look for the loot when retired firefighter Wynt (Scott Glenn) discovers the escape. Shaye's group rescues trapped ornithologist Jennifer (Suzy Amis, Titanic's Lizzy Calvert). Jesse parachutes in, but time is running out, since the original fire and the backfire will soon combine to create a firestorm. Filmed on location in British Columbia with fire-enhancement special effects by Chris Corbould. Not to be confused with Firestorm: 2024 A.D. (1996) or Firestorm: 72 Hours in Oakland (1993). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Garwin Sanford - Pete; Sebastian Spence - Cowboy; Michael Greyeyes - Andy; Barry Pepper - Packer; Vladimir Kulich - Karge; Tom McBeath - Loomis; Ben Ratner - Wilkins; Jonathon Young - Sherman
Credit
Allison Gordon Kohler - Casting, Doug Metzger - Co-producer, Doug Metzger - First Assistant Director, Dean Semler - Director, Glenn Wilder - Second Unit Director, Jack Hofstra - Editor, Louise Rosner - Executive Producer, J. Peter Robinson - Composer (Music Score), Linda Del Rosario - Production Designer, Richard Paris - Production Designer, Stephen F. Windon - Cinematographer, Joseph Loeb III - Producer, Matthew Weisman - Producer, Thomas M. Hammel - Producer, David Husby - Sound/Sound Designer, Glenn Wilder - Stunts Coordinator, Ken Kirzinger - Stunts Coordinator, Chris Corbould - Special Effects Supervisor, Chris Soth - Screenwriter, John Stokes - Second Unit Director Of Photography
The plot involves a group of Wyoming State convicts who stage an escape with the help of an ex-firefighter turned arsonist on the outside. The story begins when Shaye, who had stolen 37 million dollars four years previously and hidden it in the Wyoming forest, escapes from prison with five other convicts to retrieve the money. They pose as Canadian firefighters and take Jennifer (Suzy Amis), a bird watcher, hostage along the way. Jesse Graves (Howie Long) is a smokejumper, who must find a way to stop Shaye and his group of convicts and save Jennifer at the same time.
Film inaccuracies
The film was criticized in the wildland firefighting communities for technical inaccuracies such as depicting smokejumpers freefalling. The film also shows the smoke jumpers falling with their tools, which are normally sent down separately.
Scott Glenn, who played the firefighter turned arsonist in the film, also starred in Backdraft (1991), where, ironically, also played the part of a Chicago firefighter who was an arsonist.
Reception
The film opened to very negative reviews, receiving a Rotten Tomatoes certified fresh rating of only 5%.[1].
Box office
The film failed at the box office as well; it opened in 7th place with a paltry $3.8 million (behind six films that had all been released at least three weeks earlier) and took in only $8.1 million dollars in the United States during its theatrical run.[2]
