From the cheesy title to the equally cheesy music, from the ensemble cast to the occasionally cringe-worthy heroic dialogue — some of which couldn’t possibly have been real — elements of Only the Brave suggest that it is nothing more than good old-fashioned Oscar bait. But look past the ambitions of director Joseph Kosinski to shoot an emotional epic and Columbia Pictures to bring home some award ceremony gold, and there is something of a good film here.

Written by Ken Nolan (Black Hawk Down) and Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle), Only the Brave tells the harrowing and tragic tale of 20 firefighters, called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who battled a dangerously erratic fire in Arizona, US. This was at a time when wildfires were ravaging the southwest parts of the country, leaving horror in their wake.

Only the Brave  is a tribute to these firefighters, and some are portrayed via excellent performances. The more instantly recognisable actors in the film, who get the most screen time, include Josh Brolin (Eric “Supe” Marsh), the hardened leader of the group who is haunted by awful memories of a bear engulfed in flames while tearing its way through a burning forest; an older-looking Jeff Bridges (Duane Steinbrink) who plays the wise town fire chief; Miles Teller (Brendan “Donut” McDonough) as a desperate young father and the newbie of the group who faces his share of teasing;

Only the Brave tells the tragic tale of 20 firefighters who battle a dangerously erratic fire

and Jennifer Connolly (Amanda) as Eric’s wife who is struggling with her husband’s vocation and tends to injured horses in her professional life.

Other actors such as Taylor Kitsch (Chris MacKenzie), James Badge Dale (Jesse Steed), Alex Russell (Andrew Ashcraft) and Ben Hardy (Wade Parker) have smaller but still meaningful roles, while the remaining firefighters are less represented, which is understandable considering how this is a two-, and not a 20-, hour-long film.

As I said, some of the dialogue is pretty heavy-handed and feels like an artificial attempt at hooking audiences, but the heart of the story — which is the relationship between Eric and the rookie Brendan — is fairly engaging. While the rest of the squad doesn’t initially warm up to the newcomer, Eric is happy to give him a chance, sensing a similar soul. Much of the film is told through Brendan’s perspective which helps us connect with the narrative since, like the young firefighter, we are also outsiders looking in.

I also enjoyed how Only the Brave stresses on the importance of camaraderie and the sense of family among firefighters, especially through Brendan’s journey in the team. I suppose that any group of people who experience life-and-death situations together would automatically form a deep bond.

In terms of the job itself, it was interesting to see all of the techniques that firefighters employ when battling such a force of nature, when even slowing down a fire’s advance is a great victory.

Some inconsistent CGI aside, Only the Brave is a fairly good-looking film. At times the sense of fear and paranoia it generates is beyond what I’ve felt during any other natural disaster flick. This, alongside a gut-wrenching finale, makes for a powerful final act as good as any film this year.

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, some sexual references, language and drug material

Published in Dawn, ICON, October 29th, 2017