Poor Brian McCaffrey (William Baldwin). When he was a tyke, he saw his Chicago fireman dad killed in the line of duty. Big brother Stephen (Kurt Russell) grew up and went into the family business, but Brian tried to do everything but fulfill the family destiny. When he finally does give in and join the department, big brother still treats him like a worthless dilettante.
In Ron Howard’s pulpy epic, which has enough plots for half a dozen movies (there’s a serial arsonist at loose, an investigation into possible political corruption, a romance or two, and the usual firefighting heroics), Brian spends most of the film trying to prove his worthiness to his brother. He finally does so, though their brotherly high-five moment is tragically short-lived. Fate is out there, like fire, determined to leave its mark on you, and you have to be willing to face the heat.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkvVBZwXVhg]