Only The Brave
Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a very determined elite firefighters sacrifice and the drive to protect families and communities in an historic wildfire
11 December 1987, Australia
16 May 1984, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
20 February 1987, Downingtown, Pennsylvania, USA
8 April 1981, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
24 April 1975, Enid, Oklahoma, USA
29 October 1988, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
8 October 1983, Soldotna, Alaska, USA
30 April 1977, Virginia, USA
December 18, 2017
... the memory of the event provides emotional ballast to the formulaic fare, and Only the Brave bests its Hollywood creation to become a heartfelt tribute, yee-hawing bro pranks and all.October 23, 2017
Though the movie, based on an article in GQ, by Sean Flynn, offers fascinating insights into the practical exertions and bureaucratic complications of firefighting, it places much greater emphasis on the protagonists' personal lives.October 19, 2017
Director Joseph Kosinski puts the brotherhood of the unit front and center, emphasizing the bonds forged over sweat and soot. He directs with a sense of duty to honor the crew, and he does the job.December 17, 2017
Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its heroic machismo at every turn.January 19, 2018
Only The Brave squanders any potential to say something profound by getting caught up in regurgitating a flaccid story about heroism that we've been spoonfed since Sept. 11, 2001.October 24, 2017
Only the Brave feels like a film that would have made sense coming from Peter Berg or Michael Bay, but Kosinski mostly pulls back on the macho cheerleading to find something more objective, and ultimately, deeply emotional.October 21, 2017
Although probably a little too long, the film succeeds in being both emotionally forceful and dramatically satisfying.December 26, 2017
It takes a very respectful view of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, with just the right emotional kick to leave an impression.December 12, 2017
The film also serves to highlight the dearth of such films in Australia. It's not as though there aren't similar heroes to celebrate, yet the persistence of cultural cringe seems to prevent local filmmakers from producing films such as Only the Brave.October 20, 2017
It's a movie intent on telling us the hotshots were heroes, without sufficiently dramatizing either their professional decisions or their private lives.December 13, 2017
"Only the Brave" is a rare action film that relies on restraint and gives us heroes not from comic books but from real life.October 20, 2017
Kosinski lets the story unfold at a measured pace - so much so that by the time we reach the climactic scene, we're unprepared for what unfolds. As a result, it's even more devastating and effective.