'Deadly Inferno' is essentially "The Towering Inferno" on a smaller scale. In this filmed-in-Canada TV movie, a bumbling janitor (Ephraim Ellis) inadvertently puts into motion circumstances that will cause an office building to later explode into flames. (Unfortunately, he was also told by the big boss (Stephen Bogaert) to turn off the water when the sprinkler system developed a leak.) A hard-working executive (David Sutcliffe) tries to look out for his fellow employees, while a brave fireman, Ray (Michael Xavier),leads his colleagues in an attempt to rescue the people trapped inside.

The script by Christian A. V. Petrozza is largely routine, and includes cliched types of characters such as the unreliable dad, the expectant father in a high-risk profession, the boss who is a Jerk with a capital J, etc. The effects can be pretty cheesy at times, but the director (Brent Cote) and crew manage to create a moderate sense of danger and excitement, and keep things more or less watchable. One good thing is that the acting is actually mostly tolerable: Bogaert really makes you hate his character, and Sutcliffe and Xavier are likeable enough heroes. One suspect bit of casting: Charlotte Arnold is less than four years older than Zoe Belkin, the actress playing her daughter, and they practically look the same age anyway. Arnold is unfortunately required to make a nuisance of herself at the scene of the disaster while the fire chief (Michael Hanrahan) fumbles about outside.

All of this is handled with a reasonable amount of competence, even if the presentation is hardly inspired. Some unpredictability, including a bittersweet ending, helped this viewer raise his rating by a point.

Six out of 10.

Firefighter Ray Vargas (likeable Michael Xavier) and his team have to rescue several office workers trapped on the 8th floor of a burning building after a gas leak causes a major explosion and subsequent raging fire in said building.

Director Brent Cole relates the familiar, but still enjoyable and engrossing story at a brisk pace, maintains an engaging earnest tone throughout, and generates a reasonable amount of tension. Moreover, the solid and sincere acting keeps this movie humming, with especially commendable contributions from David Sutcliffe as nice guy Colin, Jodie Dowdell as the perky Claire, Charlotte Arnold as the gutsy Alex, Stephen Bogeart as mean and ruthless jerk boss Michael (who surprisingly doesn't get killed),Greg Hovanessian as eager intern Jack Barton, and Jack Richter as the noble Reese. However, the dodgy CGI effects alas leave a good deal to be desired. No classic, but a perfectly acceptable diversion just the same.

A fire slightly larger than a bonfire breaks out in a high-rise trapping some people on the 8th floor. The fire is so small and scattered until the last moments that it seems like it could be put out with a couple of chunky spits. But somehow, it's portrayed as the biggest fire in the city's history. Perhaps it was a different kind of fire as shutting doors keeps the flames out of rooms. Also, the smoke gets intense but less affecting as the fire starts engulfing the building, making the characters breathe with more ease with less coughing. The fire department chief seems confused and clueless all the time like it's his first fire...etc... I especially enjoyed the magically changing shoes of the female character trapped in the building -from high-heels to flats between scenes. The personal dramas of each character is so forced that you can't relate any emotion. You just wish they all died.

In the end, viewers watching this title might really feel like they are in a deadly inferno... but as in 'wasting an hour or so', in Dante's hell.