✯✯✯½
Joseph Kosinski’s eye for visuals has always been more interesting than his actual narratives and it was among many reasons I was rather skeptical before coming into Only the Brave. But I had known nothing about the actual story that the film was based on and when I sat down to watch it, I must say, I was taken by surprise. I was taken by surprise at how tragically the actual event had turned out to be and how the film handled such an event, because I had no real expectations before I had come into Only the Brave. All that I recognized from the marketing was Joseph Kosinski’s name and the most I could ever really make of it, it’s a true story – I had thought it only seemed melodramatic. Even worse, the title seemed rather distracting around its subject matter. But for what it’s worth, it’s as fitting a tribute to the hotshots as they can receive.