Movies about heroic firefighters conjure up Hollywood fare like "Backdraft" plus ongoing tv series ("Chicago Fire', etc. ), but Francois Clousot and ace scripter Melissa Monet go in quite a different direction with this fine Sin City release.
Clousot adequately stages the action at the scene of a fire with low-budget aplomb: smoke and a hint of distant fire via lighting effects, but he gist of the story is about romance in the face of danger. Most surprising is the movie shifting into fantasy early on, as Steven St. Croix dies on duty and comes back as a friendly ghost.
Star Hannah Harper is understandably depressed at the death of her lover and co-worker, and writer Monet goes in a different direction than the classic movie "Ghost" by having St. Croix serve as sort of a matchmaker, wanting only the best for Hannah. Other romantic relationships for the fire station team involve an impressive supporting cast including Brooke Banner and Lauren Phoenix, and French actor Tristan Seagal brings a big dick but halting dialog delivery (in English) to his role.
Unusual casting has professional dominatrix (she's wonderful in the DVD's interview section) Natasha Sweet as an angel who guides St. Croix through his Limbo/Heaven transition.
St. Croix is very amusing in the BTS short subject on the DVD, constantly clowning as the ghost to break up his fellow cast members, earning the ire of director Clousot who is anxious to get usable dialog scenes in the can.
