Movie explores themes of family, work tensions 

With natural disasters becoming seemingly more prevalent in the world today, reality-based films that involve similar calamities have grown more and more popular in theaters. The movie industry’s latest reality-based natural disaster film, “Only the Brave,” directed by Joseph Kosinski, is based on the true and dire story of an elite group of 20 firefighters in Arizona called ‘The Granite Mountain Hotshots’.

Immediately into the movie I was introduced to the main character, Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) and his wife Amanda Marsh (Jennifer Connelly). With barely any days off from fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013, we see conflict later between the two in an emotional struggle to keep their relationship steady.

Meanwhile, we are brought into the life of Brendan McDonough, or ‘Donut’ (Miles Teller). A drug addict, Donut makes poor choices like stealing a GPS from a car, which earns him jail time for three days. He arrives at home from jail and is greeted by his mom who wants him out of the house. This leads him to try out for a spot on the Eric Marsh’s firefighting team to make an effort and turn his life around for his daughter’s sake.

With the team of 20 firefighters set, each mission they go on gives insight into what the gut-wrenching work conditions and their gruesome work ethic really looks like. While continuing to train hard they struggle with the conflict of not being certified, meaning they stand in the backlines while the other firefighters are at the raging frontline of the wildfire.

Although they encounter this obstacle for four years, they soon learn they have been finally certified and they come up with the name their famous name ‘The Granite Mountain Hotshots’. While gaining this urgency to be apart of this epidemic for so long they begin combating the terrorizing wildfire head on.

Leading up to the crisis, McDonough asks Marsh if he can move to another team so he can spend more time with his family, putting Eric Marsh on edge, which leads to a fight between Eric and Amanda about whether Eric would choose to risk his life-fighting the wildfires, or stay and make a family with his wife.

Throughout this movie, I received what I was watching in a completely different way than I have in any other movie before. This was actually something that occurred in real life and there were actual lives lost. From watching this movie it gave me the perspective that heroes like these people will do whatever it takes to protect people just like me.

The visual effects in the movie were also extremely well done. The firefighters’ grimy skin from the smoke and dust and their soiled clothes made it seem like I myself could feel the dirt on myself. It all just seemed so vivid and real.

The only thing I did not enjoy about the movie was the emotional aspect of it. For me personally, even though it is just a movie, it remains difficult for me to cope with the fact that something exactly like this really occurred. Aside from that, it was extremely accurate to what really happened in the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.

Overall, I definitely would watch this movie again and it was well worth the money spent. I learned a lot from this movie as well and it allowed me to have a greater appreciation for the people who keep me safe. I would recommend this movie to an older audience because of content that is harder to understand. It is playing in theatres across the country.

For more movie reviews, read New movie sparks controversy in religious conversation, or, Kong: Skull Island Movie Review.

Nathan Mount can be reached via email: Nate Mount, Instagram, and Twitter.

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