Only the Brave (2017)

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Only one ten second glance at this movies trailer was my insight, before watching it today. So having only this perspective and knowing nothing of the actual events that inspired it, is what I believe to be the right way, and how stories are supposed to be presented on screen. A recent personal brush with this sort of scare, gave me added respect for these men and the story. I quickly learned how a tiny flame coupled with drought conditions are a recipe for disaster. With the help of a slight breeze, a tiny grass fire becomes an auncontainable monster in minutes. Fortunately for me I have great next door neighbor's. The husband and wife duo acted with valor and urgency in helping me save my house and most of my 5 acre place. Real life interaction between characters was so refreshing and well depicted. No overdramatized and unnecessary BUTT HURTEDNESS in every scene. Just good natured yet sometimes extreme ribbing among friends and REAL WORKING MEN... Brolin an Bridges are MENS ACTORS. REAL MENS actors.

A group of Arizona-based wildfire firefighters have been working for 4 years to get from trainee to frontline "hotshot" status. Their superviser Eric is avoiding discussing the issue of children with wife Amanda. And new recruit (and ex-junkie) Brendan is doing his best to make the most of the chance he has been given as he strives to become the person his new daughter deserves.The trailer sells this as a well-made but fairly routine, and rather soapy, action/adventure and, as it gets under way, this is what is delivered to the audience. Anyone who has seen a few films acquires an unconscious appreciation of how films convey information, and this comes into play in a big way here: we are twice shown the drill whereby the guys climb into/under insulated bags to increase their chances of living through a sudden rush of conflagration - "Aha!" we say, "we can expect them to be doing that at the climax, then!" And, as our two main characters encounter significant personal issues towards the end, we say "So X helps Y to get under his bag in time, but loses his own life - how pitifully we can see them try to manipulate our emotions!"Yes, we all understand the grammar of films.There are two groups of people - those who have seen this film or who have read something about it, and those who haven't. If you are one of the second group, then don't do any more reading about this film, just go and see it. If you are one of the first group, then you will know why I said that.This is a film worth seeing, and seeing it completely cold will make it a remarkable experience for you.

Greetings from Lithuania."Only the Brave" (2017) is a heartbreaking and amazing achievement. As the one who just kinda heard a bit about this true event and watched this movie open minded i can safely say - this is a great movie.Performances were great by simply everyone involved. Directing and script were first rate. But the most important thing is here the true story about these men - heroes. When you see a poster of this movie telling "Experience it in IMAX" you kinda shake your head in disbelieve - sure the movie looks amazing, but when you talking about true story and its devastating outcome, its just not a thing you can mess around.Overall, "Only the Brave" is a great movie about great heroes. Its a superbly done anthem to those who sacrificed everything. Great movie.

Only the Brave is one of the most tragic, honest, gut-wrenching, spot-on movies ever made depicting the wildfire catastrophe killing 19 hotshots in '13. Joseph Kosinski proves that his latitude isn't limited to high concept Sci-Fi with Tron:Legacy and Oblivion on his belt but extends into dead serious, shocking human drama while still providing a deeply satisfying and honorable experience with a great looking, great sounding and perfectly written movie. Only the Brave is one of the best movies I've ever had the privilege to watch. It' s a shame it bombed at the box office and was only released on standard Blu Ray but that shouldn't deter anyone from experiencing it. I give it my very highest recommendation!