Regular heroes

Movies about the courage of police officers, soldiers, and firefighters can tend to sameness. Yet, so long as the stories focus on the human beings behind the heroics, their valor never fails to move us. Such is the case with Only the Brave, a film about the real-life Granite Mountain Hotshots, who risked their lives battling one of our nation’s deadliest wildfires. (The PG-13 rating is for foul language, including some locker-room-style sexual talk.)

Director Joseph Kosinski spends a significant amount of screen time providing backgrounds to the individual men and how they became the first municipal Hotshot crew in U.S. history (previous crews were run by federal agencies). Headquartered in the high desert of Prescott, Ariz., they’ve spent years working as a second-line clearing and mop-up crew, taking the backseat to elite Hotshot teams from California. That changes when supervisor Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) finally sees his years of lobbying bear fruit and federal regulators agree to give his group a chance to qualify for Hotshot rank.

Each of the men is there for a different reason. Some are second-generation firefighters, some have a deep love for the land and want to protect it, and one, Brendan “Donut” McDonough (Miles Teller), is a recovering drug addict hoping to be for his newborn daughter the father he never had. For viewers with little knowledge of the actual work of firefighting, the team’s progression and the physical exertion required at each step is exhilarating to watch. It’s made more so by fantastic performances from a cast including Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Taylor Kitsch.

The portrayals seem at once stereotypical and authentic. We’ve seen rowdy bunches like this before, but that’s because it takes a certain kind of man to take on such a dangerous job. They bond and blow off steam in ways we expect but find no less endearing for its familiarity. By the time we reach the fateful Yarnell Hill Fire, our affection for these men is intense. And so is our admiration.