‘Only the Brave’ a mostly winning tribute

Lacking in areas, ‘Only the Brave’ nonetheless is a winning tribute to real firefighters

“Only the Brave” tells the story of an elite group of firefighters in the Prescott Fire Department.

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 its more-than-two-hours runtime. But because these men are so idealized, even if understandably so, this drama from “Oblivion” director Joseph Kosinski likely will prove to be only so memorable.

When “Only the Brave” begins, Eric’s squad is not certified as hotshots and thus is 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.

SONY PICTURES

SONY PICTURES “Only the Brave” tells the tale of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who battled a deadly Arizona wildfire in 2013.