Movies based on true stories can be some of the most amazing and uplifting stories there are. I still think of the film Rudy when I see a Notre Dame logo and get chills when I watch Deep Water Horizon to this day. The latest film to bring a "based on true events" story to the screen is Only The Brave. The film centers around a group of the Granite Mountain Hotshots a group of firefighters that fight wildfires. This is an insanely dangerous, but important job and the brave folks that call this their career deserve a standing ovation and a medal in my book.
The film boasts a solid cast of Josh Brolin, Jennifer Connelly, Jeff bridges, Miles Teller, and Taylor Kitsch. Brolin takes the lead role in this film as Eric Marsh, the leader of the Hotshots. Miles Teller is a former drug addict who is trying to turn his life around after finding out he is going to be a father. As the crew works to get all their certifications and in order, we learn a little bit about each of these characters and what makes them tick. It isn't always smooth sailing. Sacrifice is clearly the name of the game for most of these men. Sacrificing time away from home and their families and even sacrificing their own safety to save the lives of others. Sadly this wouldn't have been made into a movie if the crew wasn't faced with tragedy so make sure to make your tissues for this one if you don't already know the story.
Overall this was a decent film, but one this I did have an issue with was the fact that we spent so much time getting to know the characters that it made the movie about a half hour too long. I understand what the filmmakers were going for, trying to get us a connection with these men and seeing how close they all became, but after awhile I started to forget what movie I was even watching. Building background stories is one thing, but we definitely didn't need as much as we got. When we finally get to the big disaster at the end of the film, it only devotes about 15minutes to it as a whole. I am not saying we needed to see more of these guys suffering, but if we are making a film about the lives of this group of firemen and the bravery required of their job and how in an instant it can all go sideways....shouldn't we have spent more time on that than say...watching these guys at a honky-tonk? Maybe it was just me and maybe you will love the film as is, but that was my one big beef with this movie. Because of that, I scored this one with a C+. As far as true story films go this was just okay for me. I was expecting a little more form it. The acting was well done, but the story and flow of the film could use some work. If you get the chance to check out Only The Brave which opens in theaters everywhere October 20th definitely leave us your review in the comments.