Movie · 2017 · Drama, History · 2h 13m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 7.3/10 (182K ratings)
It’s not what stands in front of you, it’s who stands beside you
Overview
Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots battle deadly wildfires to save an Arizona town.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.3/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.88/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 87%
Metacritic: 72
TMDB: 7.5/10
Director
Joseph Kosinski
Production
di Bonaventura Pictures, Black Label Media, Condé Nast Entertainment
Cast
Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, James Badge Dale, Taylor Kitsch, Alex Russell, Andie MacDowell, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, Ben Hardy, Scott Haze, Jake Picking, Scott Foxx, Dylan Kenin, Ryan Michael Busch, Kenneth Miller, Ryan Jason Cook, Brandon Bunch, Michael L. McNulty
Curator Review
Verdict
A muscular, sincere disaster drama that earns its emotion through teamwork, craftsmanship, and a devastating real-life outcome. It’s strongest as a character ensemble and as a large-scale fire movie, even if some beats are familiar.
Best for
Viewers who like true-story survival dramas
Fans of ensemble casts and workplace camaraderie
People who want intense disaster sequences with emotional payoff
Audiences receptive to earnest, old-school Hollywood storytelling
Skip if
You want a highly original or twisty screenplay
You dislike sentimental or inspirational true stories
You prefer action films with a lighter tone
You’re looking for something detached, ironic, or minimalist
Overview
Only the Brave is built like a classic ensemble disaster film, but it works because the movie respects the people at its center. The Granite Mountain Hotshots are drawn as a tight, funny, rough-edged crew, and the film understands that their bond is the real engine of the story. That makes the tragedy land with real force instead of feeling like empty spectacle.
Worth noting
Joseph Kosinski brings a polished visual sense to the wildfire sequences, turning smoke, heat, and terrain into something almost abstract and terrifying. The action is clear, immersive, and often beautiful in a way that only makes the danger more unsettling. It’s a very controlled piece of filmmaking about a force that cannot be controlled.
Bottom line
The movie does lean on familiar biopic and inspirational-drama rhythms, but the performances and the final stretch carry it through. It’s moving, sturdy, and deeply sad, with enough craft and feeling to justify the tears it aims for. If you want a big-screen tribute to teamwork under impossible pressure, this delivers.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Sean Fennessey (4★) · 1237 likes
A sturdy, sincere, deceptively complex, and sad movie. Every actor is locked in, a who's who of men (Bridges, Brolin, Teller, Kitsch) who pay the bills with IP but hunt for stories about dignified underdogs battling nature and God and their own personal shortcomings. Kosinski's sanded-and-buffed style—architected, geometric images and sci-fi-forged utopic visions—mingles in an unusual way with the inherent chaos of a film engulfed in flames. Early on, Jennifer Connelly heals a wounded horse in a not-so-subtle but helpful… more A sturdy, sincere, deceptively complex, and sad movie. Every actor is locked in, a who's who of men (Bridges, Brolin, Teller, Kitsch) who pay the bills with IP but hunt for stories about dignified underdogs battling nature and God and their own personal shortcomings. Kosinski's sanded-and-buffed style—architected, geometric images and sci-fi-forged utopic visions—mingles in an unusual way with the inherent chaos of a film engulfed in flames. Early on, Jennifer Connelly heals a wounded horse in a not-so-subtle but helpful… more
alor (5★) · 770 likes
I'm in so much pain right now
Jack (4★) · 708 likes
Goodnight moon...
insanely refreshing to see that peter berg and mark wahlberg had no involvement in this...
because it's 100% something they would make.
Will Menaker (3.5★) · 598 likes
Boy these hot shot fire fighters sure do love each other, and I love them! Really hope nothing bad happens.
Mari (4★) · 533 likes
the amount of tears i cried could put out a mountain fire