Backdraft
Feud‑riven Chicago firefighter brothers must set aside their rivalry to hunt a relentless serial arsonist before the city burns down.
“Silently behind a door, it waits. One breath of oxygen and it explodes in a deadly rage. In that instant it can create a hero...or cover a secret.”
Synopsis
Two feuding siblings continue a heroic family legacy as Chicago firefighters. When a series of puzzling arson attacks emerges, they must put aside their differences to uncover the truth behind the crimes.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 290+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Daniel P HanleyShot by Mikael SalomonScored by Hans ZimmerDesigned by Albert BrennerSound by Scott ChandlerCostumes by Denise WingateVFX by Scott Farrar
Box Office
1991 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 2.0× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$152.4M
US & Canada: $77.9M — 51% of worldwide · International: $74.5M (49%)
Opening weekend: $12.7M — 16% of its US run.
Opening week (7-day): $19.1M — 25% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 1,852 theaters
Also known as
- Backdraft - Männer, die durchs Feuer gehende
- Fuoco assassinoit
Release dates around the world4 countries · showhide
- United StatesMay 22, 1991
- CanadaMay 24, 1991
- ItalyMay 24, 1991
- JapanJul 6, 1991
Companies
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
290 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Kurt Russell
as Stephen McCaffrey
William Baldwin
as Brian McCaffrey
Robert De Niro
as Donald Rimgale
Donald Sutherland
as Ronald Bartel
Jennifer Jason Leigh
as Jennifer Vaitkus
Scott Glenn
as John Adcox
Rebecca De Mornay
as Helen McCaffrey
Jason Gedrick
as Tim Krizminski
J T Walsh
as Martin Swayzak
Tony Mockus Sr
as Chief John Fitzgerald
Cedric Young
as Grindle
Juan Ramirez
as Ray Santos
Supporting cast
86Kevin Casey
as Nightengale
Jack Mcgee
as Schmidt
Mark Wheeler
as Pengelly
Richard Lexsee
as Washington
Beep Iams
as Sean McCaffrey
Ryan Todd
as Brian Age 7
John Duda
as Stephen Age 12
Robert Swan
as Willy - Bartender
Clint Howard
as Ricco
Ron West
as Alan Seagrave
Kevin Crowley
as Candidate
Carlos Sanz
as Candidate
Harry Hutchinson
as Candidate
David A C Saunders
as Candidate
Jane Jenkins
as Woman Psychiatrist
Tim Grimm
as Man at Parole Board
David Crosby
as 70's Hippie
Mike Mangano
as Firetruck Driver
Rick Reardon
as Paramedic
Leslie A Ford
as Paramedic
W Earl Brown
as Paramedic
Robert F Byrnes
as Paramedic
Kathryn Jaeck
as Mannequin Fire Reporter
David Westgor
as Mannequin Fire Reporter
James Ritz
as Mannequin Fire Reporter
Joe Guastaferro
as Donald Cosgrove
Don Herion
as Repairman
Tony Mockus Jr
as Jackson
Gregory Widen
as Engine Lieutenant
Andrew Lipschultz
as Man on Party Boat
Walter Williams
as Security Guard
Bob Krzeminski
as Captain
F Pat Burns
as Battalion Chief at Tenement Fire
Wanda Christine
as Mother at Tenement Fire
Anthony C Ellis Jr
as Gasping Child at Tenement Fire
Peter C Hobert Jr
as Probie
Zita Visockis
as Grandma Vaitkus
Razz Jenkins
as Photographer on Boat Party
Irma P Hall
as Nurse
Nydia Rodriguez Terracina
as Nurse
Hollis Resnik
as Sally
Don Rimgale
as Party Crony
Dennis Liddiard
as Party Brawler
David Luckenbach
as Security Officer
Neil J Francis Jr
as Cop
Andre Melchor
as Cop
Karel King
as Swayzak Aide
Scott Baity
as Swayzak Aide
Gretchen Erickson
as Bar Patron
Joan Esposito
as Television Reporter
Bob Rice
as Detective
Marcella Detineo
as Nurse
Jane Maciver
as Retirement Party Schmoozer
Burton Stencel
as Retirement Party Schmoozer
Robert Martell
as Retirement Party Roaster
Tony G Chrisos
as Politico
Cay Devos
as Politico
Gregory Lundsgaard
as High Rise Fireman
Charles Burns Jr
as Battalion Chief at Mannequin Fire
Louise Woolf
as Falling Chair Lady
Ian A Nevers
as Nervous Probie
Kelsey E Mcmahon
as Child Rescued at 70's Fire
Fidel Moreno
as 70's Onlooker
Zan Heber
as Reporter
Ilene Kwitny
as Reporter
Jane Alderman
as Reporter
Kevin Petersen
as Doctor
Thomas A Senderak
as Fireman
Michael Allen Mark
as Fireman
The Pipes And Drums Of The Emerald Society
as Bagpipe Group at Funeral
The Drovers
as Retirement Party Band
Steve Bernstein
as News Cameraman
Tom Clark
as Retirement Party Schmoozer
Dave Florek
as Fireman
Mell Flynn
as Bartender
Paul Guzman Sanchez
as Rhythm Tribe Band
Jock Hedblade
as Reporter
Earl Hundt
as Party Guest
Karen Jensen Clark
as Woman in Crowd
Jackie Moran
as Musician
Larry Nazimek
as Police Officer
William Rossman
as Firefighter
David Saunders
as Candidate
Dan Tullis Jr
as Engine 17 Firefighter
D Danny Warhol
as Train Passenger
Linda Wylie
as Photographer
Directors
1Writers
2Producers
8Other crew
194Linda Melazzo
additional hair stylist (as Linda V. Melazzo) / additional makeup artist (as Linda V. Melazzo)
Dominic Mango
additional hair stylist / additional makeup artist
Bruce Fowler
additional orchestrator
Larry Rench
additional orchestrator
Karen Brocco
adr assistant
Rob Fruchtman
adr editor
Bill Casey
animal handler (as William J. Casey Jr.) / animal trainer (as William J. Casey Jr.)
Greg Lavin
apprentice editor
Carol Winstead Wood
Art Director
Jodie Lynn Tillen
as Jodie Tillen
Denise Wingate
assistant costume designer
Fred C Vitale
assistant editor: Chicago
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
Members who rated this
1in 1 collection
No member ratings yet — be the first.
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for Backdraft yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for Backdraft yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on Backdraft?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on Backdraft.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for Backdraft yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on BackdraftNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…