By Dwight Brown
NNPA Film Critic
(***1/2) It started with a spark, and no one knew how it would end. That’s how the deadliest fire in California history went down on November 18th, 2018, in Butte County, California.
A town named Paradise was destroyed, burned to the ground and 85 people died. This based-on-fact story got pulled out of the ashes. They say a faulty Pacific Gas & Electric tower ignited the first flames. Bone-dry terrain and strong winds led to fire, smoke and an inferno that threatened this Northern California community. Word was slow to get around that flames were marching across the hills and could pin locals in if they didn’t evacuate.
It’s an alarm that disrupted school bus driver Kevin McCay’s (Matthew McConaughey) already stressed-out day. His rebellious teen son (Levi McConaughey) is home sick from school and testy: “I wish you were dead!” His elderly mother (Kay McCabe McConaughey) can barely take care of herself. So, in a disaster, they’d be stranded. Also, Kevin’s divorced wife is harassing him over his parenting skills, his job is tenuous at best and his boss Ruby (Ashlie Atkinson), the school bus dispatcher, is ticked off that he’s missing scheduled maintenance appointments.
Then out of the blue the evacuation notices come, everyone’s terrified and people are in their cars trying to escape over crowded roads that look like parking lots. They bang on their horns, and nothing moves. That’s when the emergency request goes out for a bus driver to pick up 22 stranded kids and their elementary school teacher, Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera). The mission? Drive them to safety as the land burns around them and save their lives.
Meticulously, director Paul Greengrass (United 93) sets up the story, all the necessary special effects, places the characters in position and lights a blaze under it all.
A sustained chaos lasts for two hours and nine minutes. Incessant danger that’s ready to overpower an imperfect working-class dad who’s just trying to make ends meet.
That’s the goal of screenwriter Brad Ingelsby, co-screenwriter Greengrass and this fiery hectic tale. Establish the protagonist, make mother nature’s fury the enemy and let it play out based on the facts that were written in Lizzie Johnson’s book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire.
The whole situation is even more haunting to watch now, after the early 2025 wildfires that destroyed parts of Southern California. That tragedy is barely off the news cycle, and this frightening film puts you in the center of what it must have been like to face those blazes. Like this might have been what homeowners felt as they ran for their lives and lost what they left behind.
Credit Greengrass, the producers and production designer David Crank for the canvas they created. Costume designer Mark Bridges for clothes that look lived in. Cinematographer extraordinaire Pal Ulvik Rokseth (22 July) for capturing the mayhem from afar and up-close. He and the special effects department blur the lines between what’s real and wizardry, like it’s a magic trick.
Sound effects make the fire roar like a bear on the attack. Add in James Newton Howard’s nerve-fraying musical score and it feels like you’re on a battleline in a war zone. So traumatizing at points, that viewers won’t realize how anxious they are until after the film, when they watch its movie trailer on a TV commercial and experience a PTSD effect.
There are some telltale flames that don’t look as real as they should. But because the editing is so tight (Peter Dudgeon, William Goldenberg, Paul Rubell), it’s just noticeable not a hindrance.
The only scenes that seem lax are the ones when the film slows down to dig into Kevin’s psyche. These moments become strained. Once the footage establishes him, his issues and reasons to want to succeed at something, there is no point in beating a dead horse.
McConaughey has made a fine career playing guy-next-door types. His persona is relatable, his accent and phrasing homey. Easy to root for this down-on-his-luck guy who’s being bullied by his ex-wife, boss and a treacherous fire. Ferrera’s understated but strong performance is the perfect balance to the not so educated Kevin character. When the duo brave smoke, heat and flames, you’re on their mission too.
Atkinson, as Ruby the increasingly concerned dispatcher, plays the character in the most realistic way. Superb, dramatic acting.
This is an adrenaline rush. Creepy in ways because so much seems real. Ways that will tweak audiences’ emotions.
They’ll be hooked in theaters. Even more engaged at home, when this film crosses over from cinemas to Apple TV+. From the comfort of their couches, they won’t notice the footage’s visual imperfections. They’ll be so riveted, there will be no bathroom breaks, trips to the fridge or answering of phones.
As one character puts it, “Every year the fires get bigger and they’re more of them.” It’s a scary thought. One that lingers. Just like the frayed nerves audiences will feel after the final credits roll. From a spark to a disaster. Wow.
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Visit Film Critic Dwight Brown at DwightBrownInk.com.
