Directed by:
Joseph KosinskiCinematography:
Claudio MirandaComposer:
Joseph TrapaneseCast:
Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Andie MacDowell, Geoff Stults, Alex Russell, Thad Luckinbill (more)VOD (4)
Plots(1)
All men are created equal... then, a few become firefighters. Only the Brave, based on the True Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, is the heroic story of one unit of local firefighters that through hope, determination, sacrifice, and the drive to protect families, communities, and our country become one of the most elite firefighting teams in the country. As most of us run from danger, they run toward it – they watch over our lives, our homes, everything we hold dear, as they forge a unique brotherhood that comes into focus with one fateful fire. (Lionsgate UK)
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Reviews (9)
Since the initial trailer, I was very excited about the film. I'm very glad that someone turned the story of this firefighting unit into a film because, in my opinion, this tragic event is not very well known, and people should definitely see what tough daily work firefighters have to deal with, especially in Arizona, where fires are considered a normal everyday occurrence. Joseph Kosinski not only showed their actual work but also carefully built the atmosphere, and the character development is also at a high level. I was surprised that the film managed to depict the lives of the supporting characters, which is not very common in today’s films. It is admirable how the unit’s friendship was portrayed; they never let anyone down and truly acted like one cohesive family, where everyone cares about each other. Many people criticize the film for the first three-quarters, saying it lacks action, but that's not the main point of the film. It rather tries to show us viewers how dangerous this job really is. I have nothing to add about the acting. Brolin played the central role remarkably well. The ending was an emotional blow. Even though I knew all along that there wouldn’t be a happy ending, I still hoped for one deep down. The moments before the fire were literally heartbreaking; it must have been terrible to realize that death was just around the corner, and you could do absolutely nothing about it. For now, I give it a strong four stars, and I might decide on a higher rating over time. 85%.
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I didn’t expect a film with such believable characters and a powerful dramatic arc from Kosinski, even though I knew that this particular story was based on real-life events. Only the Brave is really moving, but without cheap sentiment, pathetic heroism or a funeral with fluttering US flags. Its narrative sometimes uses shortcuts to be able to fully focus only on what is essential, which is a carefully assembled character puzzle leading into the final emotional blast. Every character conflict, whether internal (Teller) or in relationships (Brolin + Connelly), is vivid, authentic and well acted. I also appreciate the explanation of the firefighting practices of “monster” extinguishing in the last third, as an element used for escalation, both answering the questions of the curious viewer and depicting the professional advancement of the team of protagonists. A calm and visually clever film with heart.
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At this moment, there isn’t a more topical movie than Only the Brave. While endless fires are ravaging California that leave dead people and scorched land in their wake, a film premiered here about people who are trying to preserve at least a part of untouched countryside. It’s quite unbelievable for a Czech viewer, but within American patriotism, this is the best-made, and essentially, catastrophic movie in a long time.
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Fight Fire With Fire. This is how homage to genuine heroes should be paid. It should not be done in a way that you exaggerate actions and turn them into unrealistic divine interventions from above, not by depriving their qualities of even a hint of character defects, not so that there is no room for anything else for pathos, waving flags and soaring speeches. On the contrary, you devote most of the footage to the characters, the relationships between them and their shortcomings and flaws; showing their everyday struggle. The result is that as they are written (and played!) in a way that you care for them and in the final (literally) inferno you can immediately afford to dilute an otherwise nice realistic approach to this topic with a hidden bit of pathos and ... And it will work for you, because it suddenly has an unusually sincere emotional impact (despite the fact that you know from the beginning where it is all going) like no other catastrophic movie in ages. Not to mention the overall direction. Although we could have expected a well-thought-out and impressive audiovisual (majestic fires have a purely hypnotic dimension) from Kosinský, this time a script was added, which managed to elevate the seemingly clear, cheaply celebrating genre movie into a true, slow-building drama based on the characters. You will get into it. Which, despite the delicate topics, is not typical for a similar type of movie. PS: If you get interested in it, I will recommend watching the documentary miniseries Fire Chasers.
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A strong story, good characters, brilliantly acted by excellent actors, and on top of that, excellent work in the field, whether with fire or without it. This simply succeeded, in addition, the camera has some truly great shots that can both inspire and chill. Just like the finale of this firefighter movie.
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