Good Morning Lovelies, 

Hollywood loves a true story. Or stories based on a real-life situation, which is why it is easy to see why they would have chosen the brilliant tale of the firefighters who battled the horrific forest fires in Arizona in Only The Brave, which is out today on DVD and VOD.

With an incredible cast made up of Miles Teller, Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges, the film captures the lives of the men, called the Granite Mountain crew, as they try to save their city from being completely wiped out in flames, by running towards the danger instead of from it. Teller plays an ex-junkie on the verge of becoming a father, who is looking to repent for his mistakes. Brolin takes on the role of group leader and Bridges commands the screen.

The script and plot lead the way for an interesting feature and as you get to grips with what each character is going through, you feel more for them in the situation they are in. The characters, who are based on real people, are all likeable and each makes you feel something towards them for their heroic ways. The cast is fantastic and strong in their roles, giving their characters a complete lease of life that commands the screen both when watching and when thinking about it afterwards.

Yet, the film never feels like it was made to be a big cinematic feature. There are many times when it feels like it was made more for TV or a streaming service. Known for creating big visual pieces in the likes of Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, director Joseph Kosinski kind of presents the idea that he isn’t completely comfortable in this film.

It doesn’t call for the big CGI elements and this is where you lose some of its charms because it feels like Kosinski wants to put them in there and make it more of an action piece than one of reality. You sense at times that the plot doesn’t know what to latch on to and this is seen a lot in the wide shots of the blaze. A symbol of the wild streak the film is taking.

To have made the film stand out more for a cinematic audience it needed to be more creative. More to the point and more open to the elements that the director seems to be wanting to hide behind. However, if you are seeking a new true story to dive into, then this is a very watchable piece still.

There so, I am giving it…