BACKDRAFT 2

BACKDRAFT 2 - B+

Surpassing the original on many levels, the direct to video sequel should have received a theatrical release. Joe Anderson replaces Robert DeNiro as the fire investigator with a chip on his shoulder. A deeper dive into the character, with a greater centralized focus on who he is and what makes him tick. Donald Sutherland returns as Ronald Bartel and this time around he serves more purpose and is better utilized. Billy Baldwin also returns as Brian McCaffery, and has a handful of scenes, one in particularly powerful, but his death was cheap and easy. An unnecessary device to trigger emotion that had already been established with earlier scenes. Alisha Bailey as Maggie was a welcomed addition and the chemistry between her and Anderson as partners developed naturally. Jassamine Bliss Bell as Jenny on the other hand was so insignificant that it was hard to remember that she was even there. Written in for the sake of giving the main character a love interest, she could easily be edited out and it wouldn't change a thing about the film.

The greatest strength of the script was the mystery of who was behind everything and why. The greatest weakness was in the revelation. A character with a name and a face would have been rewarding and instead we're left with a disappointing let down of simply terrorists. In what was an otherwise strong script, getting too complicated in details that led to nowhere and building up to what should've been a great pay off only to end up lackluster kept this film from receiving what would have otherwise been an A.