“Backdraft 2” Podcast Movie Review

By Daniel Barnes on July 7, 2020

Backdraft 2 – Dare Daniel Podcast Episode 67

“McCaffrey’s not here to make friends, make family, or make the country any better.”

Personality void Joe Anderson heads this unnecessary and empty straight-to-streaming sequel. He plays scion Sean McCaffrey, a fire-splaining arson investigator with visible stink lines and a war chest of personality cliches. Billy Baldwin returns as Uncle Billy Baldwin McCaffrey, while Donald Sutherland redoes his Hannibal Lecter-as-arsonist bit. Unfortunately, there is no reason to care about anyone onscreen other than nostalgia for a 30-year-old movie that no one likes or remembers.

Elsewhere, Daniel and Corky discuss Naugahyde jockeys, fire labs, and arson duels.

NEW DARES

Pink Flamingos (Jason)

Death of a Nation (Tim Crump)

BACKDRAFT 2 FACTS AND FIGURES

Streaming release date: May 14, 2019

Critic scores: 40 on Rotten Tomatoes

Daniel’s craft beer: Urban Roots Brewing‘s Comfort Hamster Unfiltered Rustic Pilsner (5.0% ABV)

Corky’s craft beer: Revision Brewing‘s Planetary Fog Hazy IPA (7.5% IPA)

This week’s darer: The Ghost of Bull McCaffrey

Why did The Ghost of Bull McCaffrey dare Daniel and Corky to watch Backdraft 2? “Guys, they made a sequel to a terrible Ron Howard movie. As soon as I wrote that, I realized that’s too broad of a category. The movie in question is Backdraft 2: Backdraftier. In this sequel, my adult son is now an arson investigator with the Chicago Fire Department. Much like his old man, he’s a lone wolf with fire running in his veins. Billy Baldwin reprises his role as my brother again, only this time he’s Uncle Assistant Deputy Fire Commissioner Brian McCaffrey. The plot concerns some kids that die in a fire on Halloween. It turns out this fire may have been set by some terrorists as a diversion to steal missiles. Good luck with that.”

IMDB synopsis: “The sequel to the 1991 hit, follows an investigator with the Chicago F.D., who has to track down an arms dealer who use deadly fires as a distraction.”

This week’s referenced movies: Backdraft; Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome; The Tin Drum; Deadfall; Final Destination; Lone Wolf McQuade; The Silence of the Lambs; Manhunter (1986); Assassins (1995); Top Gun; Gotti; Dolittle; Lethal Weapon 2; Bio-Dome