Memorable, crazy movie

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Grizzled convict Larry Durant (Neville Brand in peak crusty form) decides to start a forest fire as a diversion to cover his escape. However, said fire soon gets out of hand and becomes a raging inferno.Director Earl Bellamy relates the gripping story at a swift pace, makes nice use of the breathtaking sylvan scenery, builds a good deal of tension, and stages the hairy fire set pieces with considerable skill and aplomb. The taut script by Arthur Weiss and Norman Katkov displays a refreshing dearth of pretense and keeps the cornball sappy subplots to an admirable minimum by getting right down to exciting brass tacks after only fifteen minutes of basic setup. Ernest Borgnine delivers a delightfully hearty performance as hearty lumber mill boss Sam Brisbane. Moreover, there are also sturdy acting contributions from Vera Miles as feisty widow Martha Wagner, Alex Cord as the rugged Dr. Alex Wilson, Patty Duke as Alex's fed-up physician spouse Peggy, Erik Estrada as noble Native American felon Frank, Donna Mills as sensitive school teacher Harriett Malone, Lloyd Nolan as the amiable Doc Bennett, Ty Hardin as tough warden Wyatt Fleming, Gene Evans as gruff forest ranger Dan Harter, and Michelle Stacy as adorable little girl in jeopardy Judy. Both Dennis Dalzell's crisp cinematography and Richard LaSalle's spirited score are up to par. Best of all, the fire sequences are convincing and harrowing in equal measure. A neat little teleflick.

Earl Bellamy directed this Irwin Allen produced TV movie that stars Ernest Borgnine("The Poseidon Adventure") as wealthy lumber mill owner Sam Brisbane, who tries to win back an old flame(played by Vera Miles) who owns a lodge in their mountain community. Their plans are ruined when a fire involving two prisoners(played by Neville Brand and Erik Estrada) gets out of control, threatening to destroy the area, and cost several lives... Donna Mills, Lloyd Nolan, Alex Cord, and Patty Duke costar. Made concurrently with "Flood"(1976), disaster film is an improvement, with more excitement and interesting story turns, and the expected(if quite familiar) scenes of triumph and tragedy.

This is a great example of a 70's disaster movie! Starts off with all the story lines...Vera Miles and Ernest like each other, but never got married...Donna Mills is a school teacher out in the woods with her class...Erik Estrada is a disgruntled prisoner (falsely accused!)...Alex Cord and his wife are both doctors, but just can't see eye-to-eye about their marriage. Then the fire starts in the woods!! And all the actors come together in various threads (at the lodge, on the road, etc.) to battle the blaze and display their heroism. It's pretty entertaining, and also considering this is PRE CGI affects!! The best part for any Airwolf fans out there (the 80's helicopter action series) is to see Ernest B. (Airwolf's Dom Santini) and Alex Cord (Archangel in Airwolf) together in this!

"Fire!" is an okay disaster flick that was above average in quality for '70s TV flicks. The movie is dead serious but the preview is not. See how Warner Home Video sold this title by clicking on the trailers icon. It's funny!