Heroism hailed
‘Only the Brave’ a mostly winning tribute to Granite Mountain Hotshots
Josh Brolin’s character in “Only the Brave,” Eric Marsh, has a recurring dream about a charging bear made of fire.
He refers to fire as a five-letter word that begins with B and ends with H, and he’s learned to see the dry terrain of the American Southwest as “fuel.”
“What are you doing?” he quietly asks gazing at a wildfire in the distance early in the film, trying to predict its largely unpredictable movements. “What are you up to?”
“Only the Brave” tells the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite group of firefighters in the Prescott Fire Department that became the country’s first squad of municipal hotshots — those who battle wildfires on the frontlines — and became well known for their efforts in fighting the deadly Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013.
As a celebration of heroism and a tribute to these men, “Only the Brave” works well, increasingly so as it runs through it’s morethan-two-hours runtime. But because these men are so idealized, even if understandably so, this drama from “Oblivion” director Joseph Kosinski is likely will prover to be only so memorable.
When “Only the Brave” begins, Eric’s squad is not certified as hotshots and thus are relegated to working what is called the second line of a wildfire.
“Why don’t you do what deucers do best — stay back and mop up our (expletive),” a rude hotshot leader suggests to Eric during a firefighting operation.
Eric badly wants hotshot certification for his squad — which includes his secondin command, Jesse Steed (James Badge Dale), and Christopher “Mac” MacKenzie (Taylor Kitsch) — and gets the backing of Prescott Wildland Fire Chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges) to get it.
However, that certification will bring with it more danger and more time fighting fires, which doesn’t exactly thrill Eric’s wife, Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), even if she has to admit she knew the deal when they got together.
Eric has a few open slots to fill to bring his team to 20 and, to the surprise of Jesse and Mac, he gives one to Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller), whom Eric quickly sizes up as a junky during Brendan’s interview.
“When was the last time you used?” Eric asks. “Three months.” Brendan is trying to turn his life around now that he has had a baby daughter with a young women with whom he’d spent one night, a woman who was content to simply leave him out of the whole child-raising equation. As Brendon works to earn his spot on the team, he also works to earn a role in the life of his daughter, regularly leaving supplies at the front door of the girl’s mother.
The drama is ratcheted up when the squad is called to a fire where they will be on the front lines and evaluated for potential certification. Eric butts heads with the evaluator, a longtime firefighter who thinks Eric’s strategy to battle the blaze is all wrong. Eric points out that it’s his call; he repeatedly yells for the man to “step off!” — and later believes it will cost him, even if he was right.
Along the way to the Yarnell Fire, the dramatic elements are more personal, which helps balance “Only the Brave.” The big drama, though, is saved for last, of course, with a wildfire that initially doesn’t concern Eric.
The script by Ken Nolan (“Black Hawk Down” and Eric Warren Singer (“American Hustle”), based on the GQ article “No Exit” by Sean Flynn, is a hit-and-miss affair that, thankfully, gets better along the way. It feels like it will follow a very predictable, we’ve-seen-this-a-million-times narrative, but surely because it is based on a true story, it doesn’t. And hacky early lines — such as the wife of Chief Steinbrink, portrayed by Andie MacDowell, saying to Amanda, “It’s not easy to share your man with a fire” — give way to some relatable moments. In fact, a late-game argument between Eric and Amanda is very well-scripted, and it allows Brolin (“Sicario,” “Everest”) and Connelly (“Winter’s Tale,” “Noah”) an opportunity to exhibit their fine talents.
In general, the acting is solid. Brolin carries the load throughout, but Teller (“Whiplash,” the “Divergent” movies) is decent — it’s nice when you get to play someone who isn’t a jerk down deep. Dale (“13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”) also make a bit of an impression as the capable lieutenant. And we can’t forget about Bridges, enjoying playing an older, experienced character with a welcome bit of quirkiness, as he has recently in films such as “Hell or High Water.”
Along with honoring these men, Kosinski, who also directed “Tron: Legacy” and has a background in making music videos, clearly prioritized giving us insight into how these ruthless wildfires are fought. It is here where he greatly succeeds. It’s certainly possible he gets some of the details wrong — that wouldn’t be a first for Hollywood — but “Only the Brave” at least feels as though it was made with great care in this area.
The film certainly feels timely, as wildfires have been chewing up land and claiming lives in Northern California, and we would all be better for remembering the people who fight these powerful forces of nature and understanding a bit more of how they do their dangerous jobs.
And we are better off knowing more about the Granite Mountain Hotshots, idealized versions of them or not.
‘Only the Brave’
In theaters: Oct. 20. Rated: PG-13 for thematic content, some sexual references, language and drug material. Runtime: 2 hours, 13 minutes. Stars (of four): 2.5