‘Backdraft’: 30th-anniversary honoring of firefighters

Above : Ron Howard’s “Backdraft” is celebrating its 30th anniversary with screenings Sunday and Wednesday. (Photo/Universal Pictures)

What with all the fires devouring so many thousands of acres of forest land, along with the cities they surround, it’s only natural that firefighters should attract our attention.

So many movies and television shows have focused on those who fight fires. Remember Paul Newman and Steve McQueen starring in “The Towering Inferno” ? And television has broadcast everything from “Rescue Me” to “Emergency!” to “Chicago Fire.”

One movie that makes most Best Firefighter Movies of All Time, though, is “Backdraft.” Directed by Ron Howard, the movie stars Kurt Russell, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, William Baldwin and many more … including, believe it or not, David Crosby billed as “70s hippie.”

A special 30th-anniversary showing of “Backdraft” will take place on Sunday and Wednesday at two area Regal Cinemas theaters: Northtown Mall and Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone Stadium. Sunday’s screenings will be at 3 and 7 p.m., while Wednesday’s will be at 7 only.

“Backdraft” was somewhat successful, grossing almost $78 million nationally, $152 million worldwide. The reviews were mostly good, and here are a few:

Gene Siskel , Chicago Tribune: “ ‘Backdraft’ is a spectacle worth observing; it may also generate a little more respect for firemen, everyday heroes who don`t need the movies to polish their image.”

Janet Maslin , New York Times: “The spectacular fire sequences, which must have been hellish to film, are powerfully enveloping on screen, thanks especially to the eerie effect of the title.”

Desson Thomson of The Washington Post was a bit more restrained: “Director Howard is so mesmerized by the flames, he squirts formulaic lighter fluid over everything.”

Overall, “Backdraft” scored a 75 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The good news there is that the movie’s sequel, the not-so-cleverly titled “Backdraft 2,” scored 40 percent among critics and a scalding 17 percent among fans.

Burn.