The East Coast has its charms, but the American West got most of the spectacular stuff this country has to offer. Wildfire goes to the frontlines with firefighters in areas both remote and populated in Idaho, Oregon and California, with a short detour to Australia. And Grand Canyon goes from the canyon rim to the wild rapids at the bottom. To be sure, neither film matches the sheer drama and spectacle of Everest, which is still in rotation at the theater. But they stand on their own, making for a worthwhile detour off Interstate 95 to the theater.
Wildfire is an homage to the men and women who fight fires.
They are captured in heroic weariness and at businesslike work, digging fire lines and downing trees with chain saws. It's also a good introduction to wildfires themselves, a natural and necessary cycle in the ecosystem. It's just up to the firefighters to make sure that humans and the structures they build are safe, a task this documentary captures with style. One highlight is taking a plunge along with a smoke-jumper, watching the smoking land rise up between his feet. Another is watching the sky crane, an ungainly-looking helicopter, at work.