Only the Brave
4/4
Starring: Miles Teller, Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jeff Bridges, Andie MacDowell
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Content, Some Sexual References, Language and Drug Material
When the end credits started after seeing "Only the Brave," I had to take a moment to collect myself. This movie was so overwhelming that my heart was still in pieces after what I had experienced. Even now, a half hour or so after the film ended, I'm still thinking about it. Not since "American Sniper" have I seen a movie like this.
I remember reading the story about the Yarnell Hill Fire. Like all great tragedies, it took a while to really register. It just didn't seem possible. It was such an abstract concept that it took a while to sink in. Then the grief started. Even before I saw the movie, thinking about it still haunts me.
Lately, biopics of famous people or events have become cash cows for Hollywood. Buy the rights to a "known" event, write a screenplay as fast as possible, and get it into theaters before everyone forgets about it. Usually, those movies don't turn out well. "Sully" and "Patriots Day" are two examples. "Only the Brave" is different because it isn't by the numbers filmmaking. More care has been taken with the screenplay and the actors. Director Joseph Kosinski is avoids the trap of exploiting the event because he is interested in more than the tragedy. He's interested in the people involved.
Eric Marsh (Brolin) is the supervisor for a group of 18 men who fight forest fires. They desperately want to become Hotshots, which means more glory and pay, but they're being held up because they are the first municipal fire department to be considered for it. And the city council isn't sure if it's worth the financial investment. One day a guy named Brendan McDonaugh (Teller) walks in. He's an ex-junkie who, after the birth of his daughter, decides to clean himself up and make something of himself. Despite the warnings of his captain, Jesse Steed (Dale), he hires him and McDonaugh quickly becomes one of the boys. However, tragedy struck in 2013 when everyone but Brandon was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire.
It would be unfair to expect that every character involved would be three-dimensional and get their fair of screen time. Even with a running time of two and a half hours, it would be impossible to expect something even on the level of "Twister," which has a similar camaraderie between the characters. To combat this, Kosinski concentrates on three characters (Eric, Brendan, and Eric's wife Amanda, played by Connelly) and sees the Hotshots as a close-knit group. By presenting them as a single unit, we feel identified with them as a whole. Instead of 20 different guys, they have become the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
The performances are uniformly excellent. Josh Brolin in particular is good, doing a lot with the mentor figure. Eric is smart, but stubborn enough to alienate those around him. This is perhaps the best performance he has ever given. He's unlikely to get an Oscar nomination, but he should. Miles Teller, who so frequently plays the every guy, is also terrific. In the Hotshots, he finds the strength to grow up and get sober, and do right by his daughter. As Amanda, Jennifer Connelly is in top form. Amanda is both fiery and tender, and holds her own in an argument with her husband (of which there are a few). We see their marriage as one really is: bound by love, but not free of tempers. She hasn't been this good since "Blood Diamond." A Best Supporting Actress nod is warranted. Also worth mentioning are Taylor Kitsch and James Badge Dale. Kitsch plays Chris, the obligatory jerk turned buddy, but the dialogue and chemistry between Kitsch and Teller feels real. I've often criticized Kitsch for lack of talent in the past (remember "John Carter?"), but I'm beginning to see ability where I didn't before. Up and coming character actor James Badge Dale makes an impression with sheer presence and ability in a small role as Eric's second in command.
"Only the Brave" is not a perfect film. There are one or two hokey moments (such as anything involving the bear on fire) and it could have used a bit of tightening up in the pacing. I also missed scenes that explains the techniques that Hotshots use to fight fires. However, such criticisms are almost insignificant because the film's emotional impact is so all encompassing. A lot of the material may be familiar, but it is played with such honesty that it gains life and energy regardless.
Be forewarned that this is not an easy film to sit through, particularly at the end. But it's not an experience you should miss. This is definitely one of the year's best films.
Starring: Miles Teller, Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Jeff Bridges, Andie MacDowell
Rated PG-13 for Thematic Content, Some Sexual References, Language and Drug Material
When the end credits started after seeing "Only the Brave," I had to take a moment to collect myself. This movie was so overwhelming that my heart was still in pieces after what I had experienced. Even now, a half hour or so after the film ended, I'm still thinking about it. Not since "American Sniper" have I seen a movie like this.
I remember reading the story about the Yarnell Hill Fire. Like all great tragedies, it took a while to really register. It just didn't seem possible. It was such an abstract concept that it took a while to sink in. Then the grief started. Even before I saw the movie, thinking about it still haunts me.
Lately, biopics of famous people or events have become cash cows for Hollywood. Buy the rights to a "known" event, write a screenplay as fast as possible, and get it into theaters before everyone forgets about it. Usually, those movies don't turn out well. "Sully" and "Patriots Day" are two examples. "Only the Brave" is different because it isn't by the numbers filmmaking. More care has been taken with the screenplay and the actors. Director Joseph Kosinski is avoids the trap of exploiting the event because he is interested in more than the tragedy. He's interested in the people involved.
Eric Marsh (Brolin) is the supervisor for a group of 18 men who fight forest fires. They desperately want to become Hotshots, which means more glory and pay, but they're being held up because they are the first municipal fire department to be considered for it. And the city council isn't sure if it's worth the financial investment. One day a guy named Brendan McDonaugh (Teller) walks in. He's an ex-junkie who, after the birth of his daughter, decides to clean himself up and make something of himself. Despite the warnings of his captain, Jesse Steed (Dale), he hires him and McDonaugh quickly becomes one of the boys. However, tragedy struck in 2013 when everyone but Brandon was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire.
It would be unfair to expect that every character involved would be three-dimensional and get their fair of screen time. Even with a running time of two and a half hours, it would be impossible to expect something even on the level of "Twister," which has a similar camaraderie between the characters. To combat this, Kosinski concentrates on three characters (Eric, Brendan, and Eric's wife Amanda, played by Connelly) and sees the Hotshots as a close-knit group. By presenting them as a single unit, we feel identified with them as a whole. Instead of 20 different guys, they have become the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
The performances are uniformly excellent. Josh Brolin in particular is good, doing a lot with the mentor figure. Eric is smart, but stubborn enough to alienate those around him. This is perhaps the best performance he has ever given. He's unlikely to get an Oscar nomination, but he should. Miles Teller, who so frequently plays the every guy, is also terrific. In the Hotshots, he finds the strength to grow up and get sober, and do right by his daughter. As Amanda, Jennifer Connelly is in top form. Amanda is both fiery and tender, and holds her own in an argument with her husband (of which there are a few). We see their marriage as one really is: bound by love, but not free of tempers. She hasn't been this good since "Blood Diamond." A Best Supporting Actress nod is warranted. Also worth mentioning are Taylor Kitsch and James Badge Dale. Kitsch plays Chris, the obligatory jerk turned buddy, but the dialogue and chemistry between Kitsch and Teller feels real. I've often criticized Kitsch for lack of talent in the past (remember "John Carter?"), but I'm beginning to see ability where I didn't before. Up and coming character actor James Badge Dale makes an impression with sheer presence and ability in a small role as Eric's second in command.
"Only the Brave" is not a perfect film. There are one or two hokey moments (such as anything involving the bear on fire) and it could have used a bit of tightening up in the pacing. I also missed scenes that explains the techniques that Hotshots use to fight fires. However, such criticisms are almost insignificant because the film's emotional impact is so all encompassing. A lot of the material may be familiar, but it is played with such honesty that it gains life and energy regardless.
Be forewarned that this is not an easy film to sit through, particularly at the end. But it's not an experience you should miss. This is definitely one of the year's best films.
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