The 11 Best Firefighter Movies of All Time

Burn is perhaps the closest us non-firemen will ever get to actually seeing what the job is like. The documentary follows Engine Company 50 of the Detroit Fire Department, responsible for an area with some of the worst arson rates in the country.

In September 2001, French filmmakers Jules and Gédéon Naudet were shooting a documentary about the the Engine 7, Ladder 1 firehouse in Lower Manhattan when the first plane hit. What followed became some of the most thorough documentation of the September 11 attacks and perhaps the greatest firefighter documentary/movie/film ever.

This TV movie dramatizes the 1988 First Interstate Tower fire in LA, which destroyed five floors of the cities then-tallest skyscraper. It’s maybe one of the best Hollywood dramatizations of a real urban fire.

This recent documentary chronicles the life of firefighter Captain Tom Wall, who died in the line of duty. The film is directed by Wall’s nephew and provides an intimate look at one fireman’s calling.

While it may not be the best movie movie, Ladder 49 captures the terror and trauma of fire. It’s often compared to another film on this list, though it seems to avoid some of the spectacle and frills of that entry.

Based on the 1989 emergency landing of United Airlines flight 232, Crash Landing may not be a straight firefighter movie, but it nevertheless seems to accurately dramatize the real events, both from the perspective of the flight crew and the emergency response teams.

Some love it. Some think it’s Hollywood garbage. Still, we can agree that this 1991 thriller gave us some terrifying practical effects and a small look into what entering a burning building might actually be like.

Steve McQueen and Paul Newman star in this classic disaster movie. We’re not sure how accurate it is firefighting-wise, but, oh boy, it is one helluva ride.