Only the Brave

I dreaded going to see this but I couldn't not. It's one of those movies you feel you need to see to get a dose of historic reality, like "Schindler's List, "United 93" or "World Trade Center", so that you understand better what happened, and remember. But for me at least, it's only the once. The reality of it is incredibly evident.

"Only the Brave" conveys the true story of the heroic firefighters from Arizona, known as the Granite Mountain Hotshots. This movie is definitely relevant and timely, considering the recent disastrous fires in California. I know that there have been other movies based on firefighting stories, but none of them have tackled the issue of fighting and controlling a wildfire in the countryside. "Only the Brave" does that, which makes it so special and outstanding. Josh Brolin plays the role of the team leader of this brave group of firefighters. Mr Brolin has definitely given one of the finest, and perhaps one of the best performances of his career in this movie. Apart from him, there is the legendary Jeff Bridges ("The Dude") to add to the star value of this flick. The rest of the star-cast have also given commendable performances. The director, Mr Kosinski , has done an excellent job to depict this true story of firefighters on screen. He has delved quite deeply into the mechanics of firefighting, and viewers will definitely appreciate and give more respect to firefighters after watching this movie. I would love to become a story-screenplay writer for movies because intriguing stories keep developing in my mind all the time. Employers can contact me at svhot34@gmail.com

With the recent fires in Napa & Sonoma this movie is even more involving and relevant. It's well made and filmed. And the story is firstly interesting then exciting and tragic. It doesn't feel like it is over 2 hours long. There have been many movies about fighting fires in buildings in cities but not many about tackling wildfires in the country side. What is different to see is they actually stop fires by controlled burning. and use portable bags as fire shelters. There is quite a lot of back story about some of the characters mainly Josh Brolin the head of the unit and his quest to get the team certified Hotshot. His lovely wife played by the mesmerizing Jennifer Connelly. Sometimes she is so slim on the horse she looks like she is in a photo shoot. Glad they gave her a large role. Miles Teller's character as a reformed drug addict also has a pretty wife played by Natalie Hall. Miles is quite different looking here and acts well. Taylor Kitsch is the comic relief. Could have done with a some more background about the others in the team though. There are a couple of small faults. The words on screen to show the locations was in small white letters and hard to discern. The dialog wasn't always easy to make out. Some of the accents were a bit thick. Jeff Bridges always had sketchy diction. There isn't too much lingering on the tragic deaths but would have been better with a bit more shown about how they got actually got trapped. The part about getting certified as hotshots could have been swapped for more of this. The reaction of loved ones is handled in a straightforward way. It's good to see a movie about heroes that are just pure heroes without any question mark of war or politics hanging over their actions. One of the better movies about firefighting.

For me, a movie is mostly about escapism. I see a movie to forget about a bad day at work or global turmoil. If I can learn something in a move, all the better. This movie achieved both for me. Being from Nevada, I was familiar with the tragedy and I have visited Prescott several times, so I was eager to watch the movie. What I didn't expect was the fine acting in the film. Brolin really played his part well and the other characters are certainly those you will begin to care about and relate to. This movie was not about fighting fires it was about brotherhood and courage. I learned that confronting a fire is similar to being in a war zone and the comradery among the men just as strong. It's a seriously emotional experience, but worth every one of the 134 minutes. See it.

"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.