Only the Brave serves up emotional tribute piping hot

posted in: Action, Drama, News, True story | 0
Movie Title: 
Only The Brave  
Grade:  A-
Rating:  PG-13, 2 hours 14 minutes
In a Nutshell: Based on a true story and an article written in GQ Magazine, this is a timely film that spotlights true heroes who fight fires.  More specifically, it honors the real men called the Granite Mountain Hotshots in Arizona. 
 
Uplifting theme: 
  • The motto of the Granite Mountain Hotshots is “Esse quam videri,” which means “To be, rather than to seem.”
  •  Brotherhood, unity, loyalty
  •  Courage
  • Family
  • Second chances and forgiveness
  • “Doing something that’s never been done before takes time.” – Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges)
Things I liked:
  • Wow, how did they film some of those scenes?  The fire looks very real.  Great job.
  • You get to see pictures of the actual men who served in the Granite Mountain Hotshots team at the end of the movie.
  •  Jennifer Connelly makes a gorgeous cowgirl and gives the best stand-out performance in the movie.  Her emotional range was stellar.  She spent time with the real Amanda Marsh to prepare for her role in the film.
  • Jeff Bridges sings in a band called “Steinbrink and the Rusty Pistol” in a bar scene!
  •  I thought it was interesting that the famous travel empire, Conde Nast, was involved with this film. You see some beautiful Arizona landscapes.
  • In terms of emotion and exciting fire action, Only The Bravereminded me of the 1991 movie Backdraft, which I loved.
  • Congrats to Miles Teller for having two movies in theaters at the same time!  He’s currently also starring in Thank You for Your Service 
  • I liked Dierks Bentley’s featured song Hold The Light (From “Only The Brave”) [feat. S. Carey] 
Things I didn’t like:
  • There are several other movies also titled “Only the Brave”, but they are not related to this movie. Seems like they could have picked another title, right?
  • There were some scenes that were annoyingly dark, as in, I couldn’t see the expressions on people’s faces when they were talking in a dark room.  I’m sure it was an artistic choice, but it still bugged me.
  • Sometimes you can’t quite hear the dialogue, because there are so many other sounds going on.
  • I like Jeff Bridges, but lately he only plays the same old character in all of his movies. This is the first time he and Josh Brolin have worked together in a film since True Grit, another fantastic movie where Jeff Bridges plays the same kind of character. Don’t get me wrong…he does it very well!
  • Lots of spitting.  ha ha


Tips for parents: 
  • Some profanity, trash talk, and  1 F-bomb.
  • Someone gets a rattlesnake bite.
  • Drug use
  • Talk of sex
  • Lots of dangerous fire and perilous situations
  • People die.
  • Wounded horse.
 

 

@trinaboice 
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Author, university professor

Author of 23 books, university professor, mom of 4 awesome sons, movie critic, ice cream lover. Check out her world travels and tips at www.EmptyNestTravelHacker.com

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