Backdraft review episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 8, 2025 · 51 MIN

Backdraft review

from Movies Merica · host Van Ebert

Fighter pilots have “Top Gun.” Race car drivers have “F1” and “Days Of Thunder.” What movie did firefighters have up until 1991 to put their heroics on full display? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, until a director, mostly known for making comedies, decided that firefighters finally get their day in the sun. That director was Ron Howard and the movie that helped the aura of firefighters burn so bright is the movie I’m reviewing in this episode of Movies Merica. That movie is “Backdraft.” Kurt Russell and William Baldwin play Stephen and Brian McCaffrey, two brothers who grew up in a family of firefighters in Chicago. To put it mildly, they don’t like each other very much. Stephen is a veteran firefighter and Brian is his younger brother still trying to carve out his niche in life. Brian decides his latest venture is to go into the family biz and fight fire too. Add to the family friction, a series of mysterious deaths due to fires, that may or may not be murder. Many of you have seen this classic, but for you of those who haven’t, is it worth checking out? Watch this episode of Movies Merica to find out! “Backdraft” also stars Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Jason Gedrick, J.T. Walsh, Tony Mockus Sr., Cedric Young, Juan Ramirez, Kevin Casey, Jack McGee and Mark Wheeler. Support the showFeel free to reach out to me via:@MoviesMerica on Twitter @moviesmerica on InstagramMovies Merica on Facebook

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 8, 2025

Embed this episode

Fighter pilots have “Top Gun.” Race car drivers have “F1” and “Days Of Thunder.” What movie did firefighters have up until 1991 to put their heroics on full display? Nothing. Absolutely nothing, until a director, mostly known for making comedies, decided that firefighters finally get their day in the sun. That director was Ron Howard and the movie that helped the aura of firefighters burn so bright is the movie I’m reviewing in this episode of Movies Merica. That movie is “Backdraft.” Kurt Ru...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

Ready to play

Backdraft review

0:00 51:24

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Movies Merica?

This episode is 51 minutes long.

When was this Movies Merica episode published?

This episode was published on September 8, 2025.

Can I download this Movies Merica episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!