Only the Brave

Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connolly, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Andie MacDowell, Geoff Stults, Alex Russell, Thad Luckinbil, Ben Hardy, Scott Haze
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Granite Mountain Hotshots fight dangerous wildfires to protect Arizona towns.

Review:

Tim: Joseph Kosinski's Only the Brave is so good. It's exciting, entertaining, features a remarkable cast, and hits some emotional notes because it's based on a true story. It's a thoroughly enjoyable movie and I continuously debated whether this was a great movie or not. The line between the two was razor thin in this case, but I ultimately believe the film fell just short. That shouldn't take much away from the movie- this is still one of the stronger, more enjoyable movies I saw in 2017.

I only knew vaguely of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and their eventual run in with a deadly fire. I knew people died, but I didn't know how many. That created some compelling drama throughout the film. Kosinski does a fantastic job of developing these characters so that you learn to care about them. As their fateful fire approached, I felt that I couldn't bear to see any of them die- Kosinski establishes an emotional connection with these characters so that you desperately want them to live. That's the most remarkable aspect of the film, it's greatest strength.

It helps that the cast is fantastic. Josh Brolin delivers an exceptionally strong performance. He's quietly become this actor that you really need to watch. His film aren't "must see" for me yet- but they likely will soon be. Miles Teller gave an unexpected role- they made him look like the person he was playing, but it was a little jarring seeing him like this. While he gives a strong performance, it was a bit distracting. They probably should have cast an actor who naturally looked more like the character. Teller is good, but his appearance just didn't quite work. It was nice seeing Jeff Bridges and Andie MacDowell, although neither gets as much screen time as I'd like. Their supporting performances are good, but minor. Jennifer Connolly gave a strong performance. Sometimes I forget how talented she is. This movie reminded me of that. James Badge Dale is so effective here- I'm continually impressed by him. He didn't get any big flashy moments, but he quietly adds an effective performance. I actually liked Taylor Kitsch here, too. He was one of the weaker aspects of the cast, admittedly, but he wasn't bad. The cast as a whole is much better than I anticipated and I give Kosinski credit for juggling this big cast.

The movie does a fantastic job of telling its story. Story is often one of my biggest complaints about bad films. Here, it's tight, focused, and effective. You got to know these characters, but you also understood the world in which they lived. You learned about these elite hotshot crews and the sacrifices they make to protect civilization from these destructive wildfires. It's something I normally see for about two minutes on a news program. This movie took you into the lines to really comprehend the dangers and the excitement of the men and women who do this kind of work (I assume women do it, too- all the hotshots in this movie are men). I found that aspect of the film so enlightening.

While I couldn't quite call Only the Brave a great movie, I had no idea I'd enjoy it as much as I did. It has stuck with me- it's quite memorable. The movie is 2 hours, 14 minutes long, but it never felt overly long. Kosinski uses all of his time wisely to tell this story. I'd highly, highly recommend this movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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