Only the Brave

Based on true events, Only the Brave details the trials and tribulations of an elite crew of on-the-ground forest-fire fighters – including the rough-and-tumble leader (Josh Brolin’s Eric Marsh) and a troubled newcomer (Miles Teller’s Brendan McDonough). Filmmaker Joseph Kosinski employs the fairly simple premise as a springboard for a conventional yet mostly compelling melodrama, as the director, working from Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer’s script, places a consistent emphasis on the heroes’ personal lives and their respective problems and concerns. (There is, for instance, an entire subplot revolving around Eric’s marriage to Jennifer Connelly’s Amanda and their ongoing debate over whether to have children.) It’s an unexpected approach that’s occasionally a little too lackadaisical but one that proves effective in developing a good chunk of these figures, which ensures that certain sequences are far more engrossing and gripping than one might’ve anticipated. (Brendan’s initial interview with Brolin’s intimidating commander is an early example of this, to be sure.) The picture’s mostly engaging atmosphere is certainly heightened by the stellar performances and Kosinski’s stirring visual sensibilities, while the intense (and heartwrenching) third act ensures that the whole thing ends on a seriously impressive note – which ultimately does confirm Only the Brave‘s place as an admittedly overlong yet predominantly captivating piece of work.

***1/2 out of ****