Only the Brave

A few years before Joseph Kosinski began filming his sequel to Top Gun, he released in 2017 his third feature film Only the Brave that was based on a true story and is quite the breakaway from his earlier work with the visually stunning sci-fi adventures, Tron: Legacy and Oblivion. Switching green screens for the arid countryside of Arizona, Only the Brave explores the story of a group of firefighters who were caught in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013. 

Josh Brolin stars as the superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who is trying to expand his loyal team as they go through rigorous testing to prove they are capable of handling bigger jobs where try to keep wildfires at bay. Among the new recruits is Miles Teller's unemployed drug addict who sees the team as a chance at redemption to prove to the mother of his new-born child that he can be capable of responsibilities. 

For Kosinski, this earthy character drama comes with a lot of heart which is far from his last two films with their lofty ambitious visuals but he proves to be more than capable here and is backed by a great cast that also includes Jennifer Connelly, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Kitsch and James Badge Dale. The story is very respectful to the characters and the events that occurred but there is a slight lull in the middle where some of the lighter moments might not resonate with all viewers but this is made-up with a very strong ending.

Only the Brave is a solid drama that hits home in the third act and a great display of Kosinski's talents as a filmmaker. There were some studio problems when this came to release making it one that largely went under the radar for many but if a reliable drama with a starry cast is what your after, then you'd need look no further than this.