magoomj Poorly written, poorly performed, chock-full of factual errors. Some of the fire scenes were ok but all in all not even Scott Glenn could save this turd.

lost-in-limbo Toasty, by-the-numbers b-grade natural disaster action joint which has a stout-hearted Howie Long playing a smoke-jumper that has to tackle firestorms and William Forsythe's gleefully hammy bad guy persona. Forsythe is great and you know you can always expect a show whenever his on screen, as he simply knows how to play devious tyrants. Also along for the heatwave are Scott Glenn and Barry Pepper. Simple-minded writing makes sure that the bubblegum action flows with the blatant heroics coming to the forefront, which is led by Long and Glenn. Hammy dialogues (I can't remember the last time I heard someone be called a butt-munch) are filtered in and the stunt-work can get hot and heavy. Too bad some of the computer effects come off rather lousy, especially during the final climatic scenes. Director Dean Semler (who was cinematographer for such films as "Mad Max 2" and "Razorback") keeps it rugged and heightens it with some stylish shots of the woodland terrain. Disposable, but crackling entertainment.

MargoC I've seen worse and of course I've seen better. I enjoyed Backdraft, and I figured this was just Backdraft in the woods. It was just what I expected, a cheesy action movie, with "witty" lines and a totally off the wall villain. William Forsythe is one of my favorite "villain" actors, and he does not disappoint. There's something about him that's really creepy. Favorite line? "Heeeeeeeeeeeeey smokejumpah! You still alive?" If you're looking for a B movie that has pretty good action scenes and bad dialogue, this is the one for you. The fire scenes were actually quite good too. Great improbable stunts too.Too bad Howie didn't take his shirt off, I would have given it another star.

drzom Somewhere inside this movie is another Die Hard waiting to get out. A classic exercise on what not to do when making an action epic - to wit: don't sellout your action scenes with chop sockey editing that renders your story incomprehensible. Don't try to rip off little bits of other action movies and do them with less panache. Despite all the snark, Howie does a pretty good job and with a good director he might have made something of it. Hell, Glenn and Forsythe are experienced actors and they suck eggs in every scene- that's the director and editor's fault. I think if someone had given the raw footage to John McTiernan we might have seen a different, and decent, movie. If I remember correctly, Long was voted Male Star of Tomorrow at ShoWest 1997.