Story smolders in ‘Ladder 49’

After watching “Ladder 49,” you will never complain about moving to the side of the road to make room for a fire truck. The new movie is the most polished of recruiting films.

But that doesn’t mean it’s an outstanding movie. In the post-9-11 world, firefighters deserve our salutes more than ever, but noble sentiments do not necessarily make top-flight movies.

Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta lead the cast, but the conflagrations are what you’ll remember. Under Jay Russell’s direction, they come in a variety pack of towering infernos, warehouse explosions and residential blazes. The audience becomes keenly aware of the innumerable ways one can be hurt while rescuing strangers, and of the near-impossibility of maintaining mental control in the most turbulent conditions.

Phoenix plays firefighter Jack Morrison who, as the film opens, is trapped in a warehouse blaze. His reveries reveal his progression from eager rookie to seasoned pro, from loving fiancé to occasionally estranged husband. Travolta is his mentor, fire chief Mike Kennedy, who’s married to his job and more a cheerleader than a martinet with his men.

“Ladder 49” represents a crossroads for both actors. Jack Morrison is Phoenix’s first conventional leading-man character, following a successful series of offbeat roles (“The Village,” “Gladiator,” “To Die For”). For Travolta, the movie marks his further venturing into character parts.

Actually, Travolta has always been a character actor, and he’s now at an age where he can fully embrace those roles. But he needs strong screenplays, and “Ladder 49” provides only featherweight possibilities.

Phoenix carries internal angst into his role as straightforward Jack. This conflicted quality keeps the charac-

ter from becoming a stereotype. But from any perspective, “Ladder 49” is not a saga told with subtlety.