The Towering Inferno (1974)

The Towering Inferno (1974)

Dir. John Guillermin + Irwin Allen (action scenes). 

Previously it was a watery death at sea that producer Irwin Allen had an ensemble cast try to escape from, now it's a fiery one on land. They're opposing elements, but the end result is a similar kind of Disaster movie.

With a story adapted from two different novels (The Tower by R.M. Stern; The Glass Inferno by T.N. Scortia and F.M. Robinson), neither of which I've read, the script doesn't rush to the big event, but nor does it dally.

An epic establishing shot gets us to where the (hot) shit goes down. Thereafter the two male leads, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen, are cleverly kept apart for the longest time but are dependent on each other's skills at crucial moments throughout.

Handsome actors aside, the film rightfully highlights that anyone who's willing to help his fellow man in time of need is a hero, whether the activity be large or small. And the dedication reminds us that when it comes to real life those people are more often than not firemen, true life heroes.

The villains of the piece are hobnobbing rich folks who feel that their privileged life is somehow worth more than that of the average Joe, which is something else that's often seen in real life.