"Backdraft" — Robert De Niro's Circle of Trust
Who’s in and who’s out?
Synopsis: Two Chicago firemen brothers navigate their bitter rivalry as a serial arsonist terrorizes the city.
Who is Donald “Shadow” Rimgale?
As the smoke clears after a recent fire at a suburban home, arson investigator Donald “Shadow” Rimgale arrives on the scene. Almost immediately, he can tell something is amiss. After all, somebody’s charred remains are sticking out of a car windshield some 15 yards away from the front door, which, needless to say, isn’t typical with a normal house fire. No, he can tell something darker, more sinister is going on here than an unattended pan on the stove.
Fire might not cast a shadow. But he’s there to provide one.
To Rimgale, fire is a living, breathing, hateful thing. The only way to understand it, to beat it, is to love it a little. He lives on noxious fumes. The air in his office is too clear, so he taints it with rage, fostering a toxic work environment full of shouting and anger. His body is also completely covered in third-degree burns—evidence of decades spent too close to the flames.
You could say he has taken the extra step of becoming part fire himself. Because, what better way to fight fire than with fire?
Inside the burned home, Rimgale scans for the imperceptible details that separate an accident from foul play. But a simple investigation won’t suffice. The only thing that can reveal the truth is the fire itself.
He whispers to the scorched walls, as though summoning the fire’s spirit to confess, and it responds, guiding him down a path only he can see. Eventually, he discovers the source of the destruction: a tampered wall socket.
His hunch was right. This was arson.
Who’s in the Circle of Trust?
Brian McCaffrey.
Rimgale has no fewer than six pens in his breast pocket, one for every occasion: case files, report forms, termination notices—even one for lifting a piece of burned wood to peek under it. He takes his job seriously. Anyone who doesn’t is out. He cuts no slack for his staff, even for the smallest clerical error. (Fire doesn't mess up so why should his office?)
On Brian’s first day, Rimgale tells him to hide in the corner. Instead, Brian stands outside Rimgale’s office and watches him take his shirt off, revealing extensive burns all over his torso. Since Brian can stomach seeing something so grotesque, Rimgale agrees to mentor him. Over time, Brian proves himself an intelligent and reliable firefighting partner.
Rimgale also trusts fire, as he has a weird, intimate connection with it.
Who’s out of the Circle of Trust?
Alderman Martin Swayzak, the mayoral candidate who profits from the deaths of firefighters.
Although this isn’t explicitly said, Rimgale is also the kind of guy who would look down on someone who puts fire decals on their car, as he would consider it some form of appropriation.
Join us next week for The Comeback Trail (2020).
Check out the Robert De Niro Circle of Trust spreadsheet here.
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