Review of Only the Brave (2017) by Martin D G — 24 Oct 2017

"Only the Brave" is not the sort of movie I would go to see but I did and I will tell all others who wouldn't go see a picture like this go for it and those who are into films like this you got a winner!

Aside from being pure entertainment, along with suspense and based on a true story, this is also educational in many ways regarding fires and fighting them. It certainly was for me and far from being boring.

Though Josh Brolin almost always gets excellent reviews he doesn't seem to be able to get to the highest level of stardom and he deserves to as his role as the real Eric Marsh shows that he does.

"Only the Brave" is the true story of the 'Granite Mountain Hotshots' who fought a fire in Arizona in 2013 that killed more firefighters at one time except for 9/11.

With a team of 20 men plus spouses, kids, in-laws, friends, it is pretty hard to get to know everyone in this 2 hours plus film but we met enough of the men and their interactions plus a few of the 'civilians' that draw you into every moment of the film and the people involved.

Yes there is a Hollywood cliché here and there but even they ring true. The fire scenes and how quickly a fire can overtake acres of land and the many ways firefighters end, or at least delay, the destruction fire can do are totally.

Just watching this film as the California fires rage on taking everything in its way makes this a must see film to understand what is happening there.

I knew very little about the real story this is based on but the screenplay by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer, along with the directing by Joseph Kosinski and the production values, especially the fire scenes, along with the excellent cast, makes it all real.

"Only the Brave" is such a good movie that not a person left the auditorium during the end credits even after they showed the real firefighters and who played them.

Be sure to see this film on a movie screen to get the full effect of the firefighters, the fires and what made these men so brave!

Cast: Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, Jeff Bridges, Mills Tyler, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch.

Director: Joseph Kosinski.

Screenwriters: Ken Nolan, Eric Warren Singer.

PG-13 2 hours 13 minutes.