As the weary firefighters of the Granite Mountain Hotshots rest atop a smoke-filled Grand Canyon, they look to the horizon where a diminishing wildfire is hurling burnt trees into the ravine below. The logs detonate as if larger-than-life firecrackers, exploding to the cheers of jubilant men. Such emotional scenes with stunning visuals are commonplace throughout Only the Brave, a film more about friendship and community than any one specific event.
Only the Brave chronicles the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite team of firefighters who spend long summers fighting wildfires in the southwest. Josh Brolin plays the crew’s stubborn and tireless superintendent, Eric Marsh. Marsh’s slightly-contentious relationship with his wife (a superb Jennifer Connelly) represents one of many dynamic on-screen combinations in the film. Brendan “Donut” McDonough (a solid performance by Miles Teller) is a new father, recovering addict, and felon looking for a second chance, one he finds with the hotshots.
In Only the Brave, director Joseph Kosinkski (Oblivion, Tron: Legacy) successfully delivers the artistic and visually captivating scenes that have earned him critical acclaim over his young career. Even more impressive, Kosinkski and screenwriters Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer vividly tell the story of a community that finds life in each other. Nearly every day the twenty-man crew lives life together digging burn lines to alter the direction of wildfires. When they’re not fighting 2,000 degree blazes they play shirtless games of horseshoes and listen to Pearl Jam. Wives, girlfriends, and families become part of the community as they celebrate the crew’s triumphs. In one scene, Donut’s infant daughter is sick and instead of taking her to the hospital, he calls the hotshots, many of whom are fathers. Only the Brave offers a rare and authentic portrayal of a deep-rooted community, one that lives up to the crew’s motto, “Esse quam videri: To be, rather than to seem.”
Much of Only the Brave is about the crew’s journey to earning “hotshot” status and the fame and ego that come with the label. As with any community striving for transformation, conflict abounds. Difficult decisions are made, men fight with one another, and relationships fail. The story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots is a profoundly human story of struggle, brave endeavor, and tragedy. As the film’s events unfold, the men and women of the firefighting community can’t help but be changed by one another. While Only the Brave is a timely encouragement to appreciate firefighters, (over 9,000 firefighters are currently fighting Northern California’s worst wildfires in decades), perhaps the greatest legacy left by the Granite Mountain Hotshots is a reminder that we have a significant impact on the people with whom we live and work. If we follow the example of the hotshots by rooting for and being with one another despite our differences, our communities may also blossom into something remarkable.