5 Best Movies About Firefighters for Those Waiting for Another Episode of 'Chicago Fire'

As you await new alerts and victories from Firehouse 51, we invite you to explore this incredible profession from different angles.

Here's everything from large-scale Hollywood blockbusters depicting a fiery apocalypse to poignant and realistic dramas exploring the psychology of firefighters.

1. 'Ladder 49', 2004

IMDb Score: 6.5/10

Firefighter Jack from Baltimore and his crew respond to a fire at an industrial building. Suddenly, the floor beneath him collapses, trapping him in the flames.

As he waits for backup, Jack reminisces about his past adventures: how he joined the fire department, fought his first fire, and met his future wife.

For the movie, leading actor Joaquin Phoenix and the other cast and crew members attended firefighter training at Baltimore Fire College. Phoenix spent a month training and another month at the fire station.

2. 'Only the Brave', 2017

IMDb Score: 7.6/10

After learning that his girlfriend is pregnant, Brendan suddenly reconsiders his life and applies for a job as a firefighter with the local fire department. They don't exactly welcome him, as they know he's unreliable.

The crew is facing a promotion review, and his potential colleagues don't want a weak link in their ranks. However, the commander gives the rookie a chance. Just a year later, Brendan and his colleagues will face one of the deadliest fires in US history.

The movie is based on the true events that occurred in the Yarnell Hills on June 28, 2013. That day, nearly the entire Granite Mountain Hotshots fire brigade perished in a fire. Only one man, who was assigned to be a lookout on a nearby hill, survived.

3. 'Backdraft', 1991

IMDb Score: 6.7/10

Brian and Stephen's father, a fire captain, died on the job. Brian, the youngest son, witnessed the accident because he was watching his father work from a distance.

Twenty years later, Brian graduates from the fire academy and tries to join the fire department. However, his relationship with his superior, his brother Stephen, is rocky.

Brian then leaves the department to become a fire investigator and begins investigating three strange backdraft fires that killed people who, at first glance, seem unrelated.

4. 'Wildlife', 2018

IMDb Score: 6.8/10

The 1960s, a quiet town near the Canadian border. The Brinsons live here: their mother keeps house, their father works at a prestigious golf club, and their 14-year-old son, Joe, attends school.

The father struggles with anger management issues, which cause him to lose his steady income. Meanwhile, wildfires break out in the forests. The unemployed father volunteers to extinguish the flames.

Wildlife is actor Paul Dano's directorial debut, based on the novel by Richard Ford.

5. 'The Towering Inferno', 1974

IMDb Score: 7.0/10

Four hundred members of San Francisco's high society gathered for the grand opening of a new skyscraper. The architect of the building, Doug Roberts, was also invited.

Before the event, he discovers that the building was rushed and has significant safety violations. As a result, the wiring overheats and catches fire on the 81st floor, unbeknownst to the guests on the 135th floor.

A fire brigade led by an experienced firefighter named Michael is dispatched to rescue the trapped architect.