Only the Brave is the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the primary municipal staff of hotshot firefighters within the U.S., and their efforts to fight the tragic 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire close to their house base in Prescott, AZ. It’s a robust story of bravery and brotherhood, heroism and heartbreak, that isn’t simply shaken.

Josh Brolin stars as fireplace superintendent Eric Marsh, who’s attempting to get his Prescott squad licensed as hotshots—a 20-man Type 1 handcrew of wildland firefighters who battle blazes on the entrance traces as an alternative of being regulated to the rear of the motion. They’re certified, however getting the city to fund such a gaggle is one other matter. They finally clear that hurtle with assist from fireplace chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges, at all times welcome) and are elevated to elite standing, however it comes with a worth: extra time away from household because the outfit is named upon to assist with fires throughout the U.S.

Although the crew consists of 20 guys, the film neatly zeroes in on simply three of them. Aside from Marsh—who’s fortunately married to Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), a horse whisperer of types—there’s fun-loving jokester Christopher MacKenzie (Taylor Kitsch), and recovering drug addict and new dad Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller), nicknamed Donut. Director Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy), working from a sharply centered script by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer, showcases the lads’s lighthearted, easygoing camaraderie within the movie’s early phases, however later burrows beneath it to show their longings and fears: Eric and Amanda collide over whether or not to have kids, MacKenzie faces a future alone when his live-in girlfriend cheats on him, and McDonough slowly realizes and embraces the duties of fatherhood. Along the best way, we get to know and care about these males, which makes their destiny much more agonizing when it inevitably comes.

Only the Brave culminates, after all, with the Yarnell fireplace (which is brought on by a lightning strike). Initially, it’s unimpressive, however it rapidly turns into unpredictable as gusty winds change course, pushing the blaze throughout dry terrain towards Marsh’s males. What occurs subsequent is unthinkable; suffice it to say, you’ll want loads of tissues available. All of which feels like one downer of a film. It isn’t. On the opposite, the movie is a joyous celebration of those males’s extraordinary, but outstanding lives and their brave efforts to guard different individuals’s lives, houses, and property.

Brolin and Connelly have hardly ever been higher. Their scenes collectively are white-hot, ablaze with uncooked human emotion. Kitsch performs the goofball completely, offering the story with a lot wanted levity, whereas Teller continues to show what a flexible actor he’s, absolutely plausible whether or not portraying a junkie, devoted firefighter, or devoted dad.

Only the Brave avoids hagiography and doesn’t paint the Granite Mountain Hotshots as superheroes. They are flawed males—a few of whom are actual screwups at occasions—however this solely makes them extra relatable and makes their efforts on the entrance traces of firefighting all of the extra tremendous and heroic.