Director Ron Howard has become one of the most accomplished of Hollywood craftsmen, and this sturdy star-studded action drama was deservedly a mainstream hit. Kurt Russell and William Baldwin play the warring, firefighting brothers who have to cope with a rash of blazes started by a seemingly deranged arsonist, whose lethal "backdrafts" are resulting in death and destruction. The plot is hardly original, but Howard marshals the sprawling elements with great finesse and the fire footage, if harrowing at times, is genuinely exhilarating. The list of stars is never-ending: supporting the two leads are Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland, Rebecca De Mornay and JT Walsh.

Firemen brothers Brian and Stephen McCaffrey battle each other over past slights while trying to stop an arsonist with a diabolical agenda from torching Chicago.