User reviews

True stories are the one thing throughout the film industry that can't be known as being a dime a dozen because it seems as though almost half of the films nowadays are based on true events. Of that half, I'd say only about half of those stories are done with complete justice and care. So, it's really a toss-up when going into a film like this. With that said, Only the Brave is a fantastic presentation of these events and the men who risked their lives on a daily basis. Although it may feel a little slow at times, here is why I believe this is a film that's pretty much for everyone.

When you're trying to tell a possibly tragic story about people that may or may not have to give their lives in the wake of danger, it really does require some powerful and devoted performances in order to get the audience to emotionally respond to the events unfolding on-screen. From Josh Brolin to Miles Teller, to even Taylor Kitsch and Jennifer Connelly, I honestly thought this ensemble was one of the best of the entire year, with the standouts obviously being Brolin and Teller. Each and every one of the supporting roles gave their very best as well, making this a very believable and realistic team.

The premise of this film is relatively simple. A crew of firefighters is out to become the next crew of "Hot Shots," and they will do whatever it takes, which also entails hiring some fresh and willing talent. The film dives into their lives outside of work and really invests you in each one of their jobs. I was quite riveted throughout each one of the fires, and I loved how it didn't take it too seriously to the point of depression. With a nice blend of bickering and action, these characters were more fleshed out and likable than I was expecting them to be, which really added a level of intensity to the overall movie.

It really is the fact that this film has a terrific cast that really makes you feel for them when the climax occurs in the third act. I was not familiar with the events that occurred in real life, so I wasn't sure what to expect from the finale of this film. Although I feel there are some abrupt aspects about it, I feel as though it was handled with care and respected the families involved in the actual events. The final act of this movie is surprising in multiple ways and it did have me shedding a few tears by the time the credits started to roll.

In the end, Only the Brave is definitely a slow watch at times and its run time is slightly longer than the material needs it to be, but when it's slow it also takes its time to emotionally invest you in its characters, so it's sort of a catch-22. With terrific performances all around, direction that seems to be inspired, and sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat, this is a very well-made a memorable film that I can confidently say will be one of my favorites of this year. This movie is well-made in every regard and I highly recommend it to everyone.

"Only the Brave" (2017 release; 133 min.) brings the story if the Granite Mountain Hot Shots fire squad. As the movie opens, "Based on True Events" we are reminded, we get to know Eric Marsh and his gang, as they are trying to get certified as Hot Shots, allowing them to combat wild fires in the front line. We also get to know Brendan, a doped-out loser whose girlfriend just got pregnant. Realizing he needs to turn his life around, Brendan applies to join the fire squad and for reasons unknown until much later in the movie, Eric decides to give Brendan a shot. In a parallel story, we also get to know Eric;s wife Amanda, a horse whisperer. But not all is well in their marriage... At this point we are 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from up-and-coming director Joseph Kosinski, who previously directed "Ton: Legacy" and "Oblivion". In his latest, he steers away from sci-fi and instead brings us the incredible story of the Prescott, AZ wild fire squad, nicknamed the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. I expected a disaster movie, and there is certainly that too, but the movie does much more than that: it brings the story of a group of people in a way that you are completely emotionally invested in those people, and you CARE. Kosinski directs an all-star cast, headed by Josh Brolin as Eric. Is it just me, but Brolin only seems to get better as he is getting older. That guy is just solid and authentic. Miles Teller plays the role of Brendan, an unlikable character at first. Jennifer Connelly is outstanding as Eric's wife Amanda. Taylor Kitsch is one of the guys in the fire squad. In much smaller roles, Jeff Bridges is Duane (Eric's superior), and the ageless Andie MacDowell plays Duane's wife. The movie's photography is eye-candy, and the wild fire scenes, which I imagine are mostly CGI, look very real to me. Last but not least, there is a very nice musical score, courtesy of composer Joseph Trapanese (who has worked with Kosinski before).

"Only the Brave" opened wide this weekend, and I was really looking forward to seeing it. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended only so-so (less than half a fairly small theater), somewhat to my surprise, given the stellar critical acclaim this movie has been getting. I can only speak for myself, but I found this to be an outstanding wild fire disaster movie that packs an emotional wallop I didn't expect. I encourage you to check out "Only the Brave", be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

Not everybody has heard the true story this movie is based on. I went into this movie only based on what I saw in the trailer. Since it's nonfiction, I knew it wouldn't be your typical cookie-cutter type narrative, but I still expected it, and was blown away by the tragic events, and the extraordinary way it was presented on screen.

This is the story of a special group of trained firefighters in dealing specifically with forest/brush fires. Their primary goal is to save as much land and lives as possible, as well as homes, from massive fires. These men train for years and when they meet certain requirements, are given qualifications to be labeled as "Hotshots," which seems to be the equivalent of an actuary obtaining their Fellowship, or a boy scout achieving his Eagle Scout, or a junior varsity becoming varsity (or a varsity obtaining their Letter). Hotshots also literally fight fire with fire, opposed to regular firefighters who fight fire with water. This is based on an actual crew, their lives and relationships with each other and their families, along with the work they bear, the hardships they endure, and the fires they face.

The most efficient aspects of the film are the acting, storytelling, and cinematography. The movie focuses more on their lives and relationships than the actual firefighting, but it does contain a fair amount of action. Beautiful Arizona scenery surrounds the key players and their fellow crew members as they battle an only-slightly-predictable threat.

Only cons I have are ones I had to nit-pick. The film in an effort to reach out to a wider audience, should have toned down the profanity, which is heavy even for a modern PG-13 movie. A few of the relationship dramas/arguments seemed contrived, and while they did a great job explaining the countermeasures they take to battle the fires, there still is some confusion to their methods, and it would have been nice to know some of the other members of crew better.

Phenomenal film, however, and was a tremendous memorial to these men and women.

This isn't just a story about specific men and women in history who made sacrifices to protect one state, this is about all emergency responders. Just like how most stories about the military focus on certain groups and individuals, but remains a tribute to ALL who make a living from defending other people's lives and liberties.

God bless our emergency responders, as well as our military, police, city firefighters, paramedics, so forth.

There have only been a few movies in which the theater I was in went completely silent as the credits rolled. Only the Brave tells the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who risked their lives to stop wildfires across the country. It's films like this that always move me the most. A group of people who you grow fond of during the course of a film band together in the most dangerous of circumstances for a common cause. When done right, they can be extremely powerful.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Taylor Kitsch among others; all of them do a great job of creating a chemistry and realness between each other. In order to feel anything when these men are entering the flames, there has to be real friendships and relationships built between the actors as these real life heroes. Perhaps more than anything else, Only the Brave completely nailed the bond between the team of hotshots.

Going along with the bonds they have with each other, the film focuses heavily on a few of the men's personal lives, which is where the real emotion lied for me. Jennifer Connelly had the biggest supporting role, as the wife of Brolin's character, but that was far from the only character's personal life I felt attached to. As much as this a tribute to the men on the team, it's also a great film to honor those lives who were affected by the team in any way shape or form.

Kosinski's directing, the team of writers, the ensemble of actors and actresses, and of course everyone else doing the dirty work should be commended for the work here. Only the Brave is a deeply moving film that never takes advantage of the fiery source material to bombastic results, instead only using it to honor the lives impacted. Truly one of the best films of the year.

9.4/10

Fire fighting is something which we thing we know and in a way its not rocket science. So I was not expecting much from this movie.

It shows the journey of how a local fire fighting crew work up to become an Elite team that protects the inhabitants of a wide area.

The unpredictability of the fire and the kind of personality that a person needs to even be doing this job is what we see throughout. Its 2hrs 14mins, but I didn't realize how fast the time flew. The story was just so beautiful, and flowed meticulously.

Do watch it, whatever your tastes are, you definitely won't regret it.

Thanks for reading.

Some great true story movies coming out lately and this one is no exception, there are some truly brave people on planet earth.

With a solid cast and a great true story this was an easy watch.

This really captures the breath taking yet scary scenes these fire fighters have to deal with, impressive true but sad story with some solid acting making this a good easy watch.

Having fought wild land fires in Bastrop, TX and being in similar situations as this movie depicted, it was definitely personally emotional.

I laughed, I cried, but at the end I but walked out speechless... The last 45 minutes of this film had me on the edge of my seat. The way all the characters have a special personal touch to them makes this film all more special! I wont spoil the movie, but bring a tissue box, the ending had me in all the feels!

Only the brave didn't do too well at the box office and didn't receive too much press for award season, so it turned out to be not much of a success in both categories. However as a film, this is quite quality and overlooked. Based a a true story, with intriguing characters and an intriguing plot, there is a real pull within its story.

Josh Brolin is great as the lead in charge of the firefighter crew, though it is Miles Teller who shines in his role. These last few years, he has proved to show range in several different roles, yet he seems to be quite underrated in terms of the general perception.

Only the Brave is a movie directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges. The movie is essentially a biography about the the rise of the Granite Mountain Hotshots and how they come together to put their entire lives at risk to protect their town from a dangerous wildfire.

This managed to be a very interesting movie that brings you in very quickly when the movie starts. It is very well acted from beginning to end with interesting characters and motives. It's interesting to see how the members of the Hotshots' lives have changed as the organization forms and grows big. The movie isn't fully character driven, fortunately. The movie does have a large focus on dealing with the area's large wildfires, which are also highly engaging. It's admittedly hard to critique the execution of certain scenes like the firefighting scenes in Only the Brave when it's based on true events. If I would like to point out an issue that I have with the movie, it's that I thought the story structure was a bit all over the place, but again, it's hard to properly critique a biography movie due to the fact that it is based on true events.

8/10

Ostensibly to fire-fighting what Deepwater Horizon is to deep sea oil rigging, this ode to the heroic Granite Mountain Hotshots lightens the action load in favour of no-frills drama that simmers in the salt-of-the-earth Arizonian lifestyle. It's a bold move by director Joseph Kosinski, one that doesn't always pay off. For every scene that effectively portrays the dedication these men (and their families) had to one another, there's another scene in which the sentimentality skyrockets to unpalatable levels. A quiet moment at a work BBQ between lonesome rookie Donut (Miles Teller) and the popular Mac (Taylor Kitsch) highlights the sort of subtle, affecting film this can be; whilst an excruciatingly prolonged sequence with Jennifer Connelly tending to an injured horse demonstrates just how easily you can fall off that emotional tightrope. Although Kosinski admirably grounds the movie as a character study, he also fails to fully convey what this perilous occupation entails; a deeper exploration of the job's intricacies could have added a level of interest to match the heart. Considering they're real life people it's uncanny how these men fit into cinematic stereotypes—the grizzled vet, the joker, the playboy, the one who always reads his bible, etc—yet the talented ensemble cast adds profundity, not least Josh Brolin as team leader Eric Marsh. Brolin portrays Marsh like a near-mythical figure, an expert that not only understands the science behind wildfires, but senses the pulse of a fire as if they were linked by an unseen connection. It teeters on absurdity, but Brolin is good enough to keep it from tipping over. Visually stunning and wonderfully acted, but lacking the necessary control over the romanticism of its topic, Only the Brave is a honourable tribute but an unmemorable film.

Superb acting with a story line that'll draw you in and really make you feel like you're part of the crew. Loved it. Can't believe someone would rate this poorly and call it cliché. It's based on a true story so I'm not sure how that's cliché. Either way - it's amazing and I'm glad they made the movie so the world can honor these brave heroes.

This is a fitting tribute to the brave men who risk immense danger to fight wild fires on a daily basis and their supporting families. The cinematography of the mountain scenery and vistas is stunningly beautiful. I didn't know the story or anything at all about the film and saw it on a pre-view screening before general release in the UK. Josh Brolin had a stand out performance and was totally believable. The film was patiently put together to show the camaraderie and emotional struggles behind the heroics, but this dragged the film to a pedestrian pace when more action shots would have had more appeal. I was shocked by the final scenes especially as this was based on true events. I hope the movie does well.

At the beginning of 'Only the Brave' we are told that the film is based on a true story. At about the 4/5 point of the movie I had to ask myself whether the true story was simply that fire fighters exist. The reason for this was that almost nothing happens for the first 2 hours of the film. It just plots along, slowly developing characters and skipping from one drama-less scene to the next. By the end of the film you find out why they were taking the time to make you care for these characters, but there certainly had to be more exciting ways to go about it.

The film plays it very safe. There is no explicit language, very little in the way of violence and even the drug implications near the beginning are played very safely. At times 'Only the Brave' feels like a film designed for children to watch. I think that's why the 134 minute runtime drags so much. The filmmakers were afraid to be daring in any way and that often makes for a difficult film to watch.

I didn't hate 'Only the Brave'. It's actually a very well made movie technically. I just know that films like this based around true events can be done so much better. Don't be fooled by the 7.7 rating on IMDb. There are much better films out there worthy of your time.

This movie will haunt you hours after you see it. While you will certainly be emotionally moved by this movie, it will affect you more to realize that this was a true event. Well done Hollywood. Its nice to finally see a well filmed well acted movie. The core elements of the story are true, and the characters are real. And of course the final event was exactly as it happened as best as anyone can determine. All of the actors should be commended. Not a weak one in the bunch.

In Prescott, Arizona, Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) is frustrated that his firefighters are kept from the frontline as elite Hotshots dismiss them. He and his wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) have a volatile relationship and a horse ranch. Brendan "Donut" McDonough (Miles Teller) is a young recruit struggling to deal with impending parenthood.

It treats the story with respect and the formulaic telling with competence. I'm less compelled by the individual relationships. I don't really care about the conflict in Marsh's marriage. Donut has some cute moments although the baby stuff is too cute by half. While there are some heartfelt scenes between the frat bravado, the firefighting is the epic heart of this movie. This would work better with them fighting the fire while flashbacks fill in the spaces in between. The structure of the film needs some more imagination. Overall, the subject matter is sincere and this is generally done well.

"Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters who risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire."

First rate intense performances with few exceptions from all the main players.

This is a gut-wrenching yet compelling drama.

As the concluding credits are about to start the roll call at the end reveals the real bravery of those being portrayed:

9/10.

This had all the ingredients to make it a 10/10 but sadly it failed to deliver .

I wouldn't want to take anything away from the brave firefighters on which this story is based and I feel now compelled to learn about the actual events .

If I use THE PERFECT STORM as the benchmark for a film of this nature , this fell short on too many levels .

This is the type of film that should make you feel emotional and cry . The only characters and relationship that I felt any attachment were the Eminem looking chap and Jenifer Connolly . Jeff Bridges looked more like Beau Bridges !

Ultimately it spent too long getting to the finale - the build should have engaged you more , the final half hour was the strongest part of the film but it was an uphill struggle to get there

But the good news is it has got the story out there and shows the debt of gratitude owed to those who put their lives on the line to protect others . I had no idea of the actual story and I definitely recommend you DO NOT look it up before seeing the film as it will spoil the suspense .

Pad.A 5.5/10'

The story was compelling and gut-wrenching, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The finer sense of humour was tucked in nicely beside the bitter side of life. Real life at its best.

It is not often that I would recommend a 'based on real life' movie, but I would definitely commend Only the Brave.

To be clear this is a film about the lives of a fire crew, Towering Inferno in the forest it ain't with focus on ambition, partnership, friendship and the environment. It is extremely easy on the eye with tremendous vistas and the fire scenes are both shocking and beautiful.

It is rather too long and very earnest and worthy - a fewer lighter touches would have been nice to punctuate the high drama. However the strength of the characters and what they believe in and the performances by a strong cast makes for a absorbing experience. Special mention for Jennifer Connolly

Although good solid acting all around, nothing struck an emotional chord with me until the last 20 minutes. The movie weaves between the Hotshots battling fires (great) and the fighting between Eric (Josh Brolin) and Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) Eric's wife- this kind of arguments between husband and wife we've all seen tons of times, and cheapened the plot into a daytime TV performance. However, the last 15 minutes are truly touching and give a fine dedication to the Granite Mountain Hotshots

When you choose a film you generally have an idea of what to expect. This was to be a story of humanity against the elements. It turned out to be a sappy soapy cliched story of brothers in arms and their female fan club. Clint Eastwood should have directed it. That way it would have been an epic tale instead of a forested version of Top Gun. This follows the Top Gun Maverick wing man narrative to a tee. You almost expect Val Kilmerto pop out of nowhere. Once you're through with all of the myriad av plot cliches and youve digested all of the lame shirtless volleyball macho stuff you might end up enjoying 1 out of every 10 minutes of the .film. Better still don't bother. There are better catastrophe movies out there at least those that don't pretend to be deep and filled with a message. Remember, you can prevent forest fires.