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.
"One tiny spark becomes a night of blazing suspense."
Top Billed Cast
Steve McQueen
Chief O'Hallorhan
Paul Newman
Doug Roberts
William Holden
Jim Duncan
Faye Dunaway
Susan
Fred Astaire
Harlee Claiborne
Susan Blakely
Patty
Richard Chamberlain
Simmons
Jennifer Jones
Lisolette
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
W WuchakVerified TMDB Critic
2018-08-09
Successful 70’s disaster flick isn’t anywhere near as entertaining as “The Poseidon Adventure”
RELEASED IN 1974 and directed by John Guillermin, "The Towering Inferno" details events in San Francisco when the world's tallest building, The Glass Tower (138 stories), catches aflame due to an electrical short and threatens hundreds of lives during the grand dedication ceremony. Paul Newman plays the architect, Steve McQueen the fire chief, William Holden the wealthy contractor and Richard Chamberlain his arrogant cost-cutting son-in-law.
This overblown disaster flick has a great all...
J John ChardVerified TMDB Critic
2019-06-04
The crowning glory of a much maligned genre.
A newly built state of the art high-rise is hosting a big society gathering when a fire starts up on the 81st floor...
Warner Brothers & 20th Century Fox were both keen to cash in on the success of 1972s The Poseidon Adventure, Warner's buying the rights to The Tower, and Fox buying the rights to The Glass Inferno, both novels about burning skyscrapers and seemingly ripe for a big screen adaptation. Enter producer Irwin Allen who smartly suggested that both studios should come together and produce one blockbusting genre defining film. Splitti...
