Synopsis
At the opening party of a colossal—but poorly constructed—skyscraper, a massive fire breaks out, threatening to destroy the tower and everyone in it.
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Cast
- Steve McQueenChief O'Hallorhan
- Paul NewmanDoug Roberts
- William HoldenJim Duncan
- Faye DunawaySusan
- Fred AstaireHarlee Claiborne
- Susan BlakelyPatty
- Richard ChamberlainSimmons
- Jennifer JonesLisolette
- O.J. SimpsonJernigan
- Robert VaughnSenator Parker
Recommendations
- 90
Variety
The Towering Inferno is one of the greatest disaster pictures made, a personal and professional triumph for producer Irwin Allen. - 83
The A.V. Club
The fun of watching The Towering Inferno is in figuring out which old star Allen is going to indiscriminately kill off, as well as watching ultramodern décor go up in flames while a bunch of stubborn egotists refuse to listen to reasonable men. - 80
Empire
Much more than a way to pass a rainy bank holiday afternoon, this is rocking good superleague disaster adventure. - 75
Chicago Sun-Times
By far the best of the mid-1970s wave of disaster films. - 75
Slant Magazine
In nearly every reasonable sense it’s the far more accomplished of the two famed Allen disaster epics. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
Everything a disaster movie should be, a combination of soap opera and the spectacle of destruction. - 75
Rolling Stone
The story is stock, but thanks to the behind-the-scene fire wranglers, you can practically feel the heat. - 70
The New York Times
Movies like The Towering Inferno appear to have been less directed than physically constructed. This one is overwrought and silly in its personal drama, but the visual spectacle is first rate. You may not come out of the theater with any important ideas about American architecture or enterprise, but you will have had a vivid, completely safe nightmare.
