Summary

• Backdraft earns a 7 out of 10 for realism.
• The Ron Howard action thriller's depiction of a backdraft is accurate, but firefighters now have methods for mitigating the phenomenon's effects.
• Backdraft is one of Russell's most iconic 1990s movies, and it was a critical and commercial success.

A real firefighter analyzes scenes from Backdraft, and the film earns a respectable accuracy score. Released in 1991, Backdraft is directed by Ron Howard and features Kurt Russell starring as firefighter Stephen McCaffrey. The film, which chronicles the investigation of a serial arsonist, was a box office hit and was highly praised for its practical effects, particularly those involving fire.

In a recent video for Insider, New York City firefighter Anthony Martinez analyzes scenes from Backdraft, including one that features the eponymous phenomenon.

According to Martinez, the movie not only gets many elements right, it was also a major inspiration for him actually choosing to become a firefighter. Check out selections of Martinez's analysis and his score for the film out of 10 below:

“The way a backdraft actually occurs, during the decay stage, the fire is actually swallowing up all the oxygen in the room. So when you see the smoke actually being sucked back under the door, that’s because whatever combustible is still burning, but it’s about to die. And the reason you get the backdraft effect is because when he opens the door, he reintroduces oxygen into that smoke-filled room.

“We actually have techniques to try to minimize those types of situations. We’ll do something called a vertical ventilation where we try to have either the roof firefighter or whoever is above try to vent out all the smoke from on top. This way we can try to minimize that explosion from happening….

“Our bunker gear is rated for a certain temperature, however, it’s not a save-all. We do use it go into hotter areas, but we’re only told to limit how much we’re allowed to go into a fire with our gear.

“I’d give this one a seven. This is a classic movie scene. I actually enjoyed watching this movie. It was one of the reasons why I became a firefighter to begin with.”

Backdraft Was A Hit

Is Backdraft Kurt Russell's Most Iconic 1990s Movie?

In addition to being fairly accurate, at least in select scenes, Backdraft was a considerable commercial success. Made on an estimated budget of $40 million, the Howard action thriller made an impressive $152.4 million worldwide, not adjusted for inflation. It's unlikely a similar movie about firefighters would reach that same level of success today, given the evolution that has occurred in the larger entertainment landscape.

Critically, Backdraft was well-received. The film currently enjoys a respectable 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience score higher at 75%. Backdraft represents a major high point for Russell's acting career and is arguably his most iconic movie of the 1990s up there with 1993's Tombstone and Escape from L.A. Though 1994's Stargate ended up grossing more at the box office than any of these films, Russell's collaboration with Howard has stood the test of time as an effective and tense thriller with special effects that still hold up today.

Donald Sutherland and William Baldwin reprised their roles from the first film as part of the cast of Backdraft 2, a direct-to-video sequel released in 2019.

It wasn't just Russell that helped Backdraft find success, with the cast of the film also featuring Robert De Niro, Scott Glenn, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. For Howard, Backdraft certainly remains one of his most iconic movies, but it was eclipsed in the '90s by the release of Apollo 13 in 1995. In addition to just being a well-realized thriller, Martinez's comments affirm that Backdraft is also accurate and a surprising source of inspiration.

Source: Insider