On
June 28, 2013, a lightning strike occurred outside Yarnell, Arizona.
Unfortunately, conditions were perfect for the fire to spread rapidly,
which it did, threatening the town nearby. Highways were shut down,
citizens were evacuated, and extra men were brought in to help contain
the disaster. Among them was the Granite Mountain Hotshots based out of
Prescott, Arizona, a small, tight-knit group whose members had grown
close as they had spent two years working to get upgraded from a Type 2
hand crew, used to clean up after fires were put out, to a Type 1 crew
that fights fires on the front line. This trip would prove tragic, as 19
members of the 20- man group were killed fighting this fire on June 30,
devastating their hometown while underscoring the danger these men and
their peers face.
A throwback to the films of Howard Hawks, Joseph Kosinski’s Only the Brave is
a fitting tribute to the Granite Mountain Hotshots and a surprisingly
poignant one at that. Material such as this is a tricky proposition as
there is always a temptation to make the subject larger-than-life, which
can create a sense of skepticism in the process. Kosinski, as well as
screenwriters Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer, avoid this for the most
part, giving us characters with feet of clay; men who feel confident on
the job, yet are a bit at sea when dealing with personal matters and
their families.
Josh
Brolin stars as Eric Marsh, a veteran firefighter who pushes for his
group to be upgraded to Type 1 status, a goal that doesn’t sit well with
his wife, Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), who rehabilitates abused horses.
Much like one of these abandoned animals, Marsh takes Brendan McDonough
(Miles Teller) under his wing. The young man is struggling to beat his
addiction to drugs, provide for his three-month old daughter, and win
back the little girl’s mother (Natalie Hall). Putting McDonough on the
crew doesn’t win him any favors with the veterans on the squad,
particularly Chris MacKenzie (Taylor Kitsch) who seems to have a
particular grudge against the newcomer.
The
bulk of the film deals with the crew and their continued training and
efforts to get certified, and along the way we see camaraderie grow
between them, the kind that can only come with facing life-or-death
situations together. The banter that occurs between them, the acts of
kindness they show one another, and the way in which they joke to hide
their true feelings give these relationships a sense of authenticity.
The acting is good across the board, with Brolin holding in check the machismo that has marred some of his
performances to deliver a fully realized character. Teller is right
there with him, step-by-step, making us believe that McDonough is worthy
and capable of redemption. The actor fully inhabits this part,
shambling about with the gait of a lost man and dead eyes while high,
only to seemingly see the world through new eyes once he’s sober. Teller
takes a subtle, quiet approach to this and it pays off nicely.
Credit
Kosinski and his special effects crew for recreating the fires that
plague these men and accurately showing how this threat can spread so
far and so quickly. The film’s most bracing moments occur when the
characters seem out of harm’s way, only to find themselves fighting for
their lives seconds later. The director does all that he can to put the
viewer into the middle of this danger, and it succeeds in us having a
greater appreciation for those who make up these fire crews.
Timely, what with the current California wildfires, Brave is
an unexpected surprise, a sincere film that cuts to the heart of what
true heroism is. These men don’t wear capes, can’t fly and certainly
have no superpowers. Yet they go where many of us would fear to tread,
ready to sacrifice themselves so that we might live in safety. Brave is a poignant and powerful reminder that to take them for granted is a sin and a great disservice to them.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at [email protected].
For a review of The Foreigner, go to the Cinemascoping blog at http://illinoistimes.com.
