Only the Brave

There's a lot to like here: the dialogue, the relationships, the technical expertise; but there's also a lot to not like here: the dialogue, the relationships, the technical expertise. Only the Brave is at its strongest in the easy camaraderie of the elite firefighters, with their goofing around and male bonding. But the film clearly treats its real-life subjects with kid gloves. McDonough has a pretty easy time of it, going from unbelievably stupid crackhead to dedicated family man and reliable wildlands firefighter with surprisingly little on-screen struggle. Luckily, Teller is a skilled actor who more or less sells it. More punches are obviously pulled with team supervisor Marsh (played by the at-home-in-his-own-skin Brolin), whom, we're told, has made enemies with his attitude. On-screen, his greatest sin is that (predictably) he cares too damn much. The relationships built within the crew, particularly between McDonough and initial nemesis Chris "Mac" MacKenzie (a likeable Kitsch), provide some human ballast. But the domestic drama either doesn't fly -- as with Marsh and his wife -- or does, as with McDonough's fumblings toward fatherhood. The dialogue is similarly uneven, reeling from the guys' amusing banter to heavy-handed clichés that can tip toward the laughable: "It's not easy ... sharing your man with the fire" And "I went in with my eyes wide open," bravely asserts one long-suffering wife. "That doesn't mean you can see everything coming," comes another's wise response.

The storytelling also leans toward heavy-handed and clichéd: A lingering look at a character getting into a truck means ... well, you can guess. A character talks about retiring, so the next time out ... well, you can guess. Brave's worst cinematic sin, though, is its failure to convey the logistics of the action. While it can be fascinating to watch the characters' technical expertise, their physical feats, and their strategy and skill, the film doesn't bother to fill in knowledge gaps for regular viewers. We're simply intended to accept that every strategic call one of the characters makes is right, even though other experts vehemently disagree. This is crucial in the film's climax, when it's difficult to understand why certain decisions are made. That lack of clarity may open cans of worms the filmmakers don't intend, as viewers may wonder why certain horrible events had to occur. Only the Brave serves as a fond tribute to real-life heroes, but as a work of art, it's uneven.