[7]

Steve McQueen and Paul Newman help rescue people trapped in a flaming highrise in Irwin Allen’s disaster opus, The Towering Inferno. It is what it is — we all at one time or another want to watch disaster unfold and this movie gives it to you. The script cuts to the action fairly quickly, and builds upon it nicely. Many people say the flames are the real star of the movie, but I think Newman and McQueen have enough to work with here. I’m not sure if all the roles deserved to be played by stars of such calibre, but if you have to watch someone catch fire and die a horrible death, why not make it Robert Wagner? In any case, I was never the least-bit bored watching this flick, and being afraid of heights, I was even a little spooked. The star-studded cast includes Faye Dunaway, Fred Astaire, Richard Chamberlain, William Holden, and OJ Simpson. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards, including best picture, supporting actor (Astaire), and music (John Williams). It won for cinematography and editing.