Ladder 49 is a 2004 drama movie about firefighters. It was directed by Jay Russell, and as the first fictional firefighter film since the September 11, 2001 attacks, it attempts to celebrate the firefighting profession. Joaquin Phoenix, who plays the film's protagonist, worked with the Baltimore fire department for a month to get a feel for the character.

The movie opens with Jack Morrison (Phoenix) saving a man's life in a burning warehouse in Sparrows Point Industrial Complex near Baltimore. However, the grain being stored in the warehouse explodes, sending Jack tumbling several floors where he breaks his leg. The film follows the efforts of the other men in his unit lead by Chief Mike Kennedy (Travolta), his longtime mentor, to rescue him while Jack tries to reach a safe area of the burning structure. Interspersed with the current rescue efforts are a series of flashbacks showing how Jack joined the fire department, his meeting with the woman who would become his wife, his relationship with his children, and the bond he formed with his fellow firefighters. Although not the first film to be made about firefighters (Ron Howard's Backdraft being another example) it does contain a somewhat more detailed depiction of daily life in a firehouse, and the dangers posed by the job. After some time working with the firefighting unit Jack takes a position as a search and rescue member (who enter the burning buildings to locate and extract people trapped by the fire), making his work much more dangerous and challenging as the years pass. He finds the work rewarding, but his wife is initially concerned for his safety and opposes the change; however, she eventually accepts his new role and even talks him out of taking an administrative position when it is offered to him. He suffers some traumatic experiences, such as the loss of a friend in the line of duty, and also another friend's severe injury while searching for victims. One night he is able to break through to a small girl trapped in a burning apartment, but is trapped himself briefly before being rescued. Both he and his colleague receive the Medal of Honor for their actions. The efforts by Jack's fellow firefighters are extremely determined, and Jack does his best to reach the possible safe area that the Chief told him about. However, upon reaching that room he sees that the only exit is cut off by raging flames, and he realizes that his situation is hopeless. He radios the Chief to pull his men back, so no one else will be hurt while trying to rescue him. The Chief reluctantly agrees, and Jack accepts his fate to die in the fire. At his funeral he receives a standing ovation from his friends and family in attendance, and is carried to his resting place with full honors. The film ends by replaying memories of Jack at work and suggests that life at the firehouse will go on.