BURN

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  • Opened December 7, 2012 (Limited)
  • 1 hr 26 min
  • NR
  • From executive producer Denis Leary, "BURN" is a look at firefighting as you've never seen it before. Detroit is burning. With vast stretches of forsaken buildings left as kindling, the highest arson rate in the country, and a budget crisis of epic proportions, this action-packed documentary takes us to the heart of a once-roaring industrial mecca to meet the men and women charged with saving a city that many have written off as dead. But BURN isn’t just about Detroit firefighters. It’s about all national first responders, whose budgets and pensions are on the chopping block. It’s about the people you hope will make it to YOUR house when there’s a fire. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Donald Austin, Brendan "Doogie" Milewski, Dave Parnell
  • Director: Tom Putnam, Brenna Sanchez
  • Genres: Documentary

What's the Buzz?

Must Go!
Fans say Must Go!
206 fans
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Must Go!
Critics say Must Go!
82 out of 100
Read critic reviews

Fan Reviews

Must Go!
BURN

by bkempany

good evening and GREAT movie. Being a native Detroiter, it is extremely saddening to see the struggles the city goes through every day just trying to keep the entire city from going up in flames....

Must Go!
Incredible Story!

by J_Frosty

Burn was the absolute best documentary i have seen in a very longtime. This isn't some historical documentary about something that happened years, decades, or centuries ago , this is a current story....

Go
Worth seeing and proceeds go to a great cause!

by jncard

Heard about this movie from my wife, who is from Detroit, and also had the pleasure of sitting next to two or the firefighters on a recent flight from Boston. The movie is very real and sad, both...

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Critic Reviews

90
The New York Times
| Stephen Holden

For all the alarming statistics cited in the film, Burn is not a depressing movie. The firefighters interviewed are remarkably resilient men who talk enthusiastically about the adrenaline rush of their work. And the film makes you thankful for members of this macho breed, who relish risking their lives to save others. Read full review

88
Slant Magazine
| Glenn Heath Jr.

The endless scenes of burning buildings and macho posturing merely provide an action-driven context for the filmmakers to deal with more personal topics like loneliness and resiliency. Read full review

80
Los Angeles Times
| Gary Goldstein

Vividly captures a year in the life of eastside Detroit's Engine Company 50. Read full review

70
Village Voice
|

In this lively and affecting documentary, filmmakers Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez show that Detroit is burning. Literally. Read full review

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Photos

A scene from "Burn."