Review of Only the Brave (2017) by Steviegjd — 26 Oct 2017

"Only The Brave" is formulaic, somewhat emotionally manipulative and more than a little corny in parts. But it is also very earnest, emotionally engaging and entertaining. I was not familiar with the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

So I did not know exactly what was coming, though it was not that hard to anticipate many of the turns. Josh Brolin is great as the road weary veteran supervisor of the team. Miles Teller gives the best, and least obnoxious, performance of his young career as the troubled loser who conquers his demons.

While I really liked him in "The Spectacular Now" and I loved "Whiplash" as a film, he too often hits the same note as an obnoxious, self-centered jerk (which worked in The Spectacular Now), but not so here.

His character is dynamic and Teller's performance is mature. Jeff Bridges and Jennifer Connelly give strong supporting performances, as do the other actors playing the other Hotshots and their families.

There may be a bit too much male bonding ribbing in the downtime, but the fire scenes are very well shot and the sound engineering is excellent. You can feel the onslaught of the fire. At times, it is laid on a little thick.

But, in the end, it is quite entertaining and heartbreaking.