Overview
A gripping tale of courage and sacrifice in the face of nature's fury.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- earnest
- heroic
- gripping
- true story drama night
- disaster movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the fact-based firefighter drama stolidly powerful and emotionally affecting, supported by a strong veteran cast and impressive fire effects.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The story dramatizes the Granite Mountain Hotshots and the Yarnell Hill Fire while emphasizing their courage and sacrifice.
Eric Marsh recruits and trains inexperienced firefighters, including Brendan McDonough, whose maturation parallels the crew's formation.
The film uses practical effects and CGI to render forest fires as overwhelming, visually imposing threats.
Brendan McDonough begins as a wastrel and changes through rigorous Hotshot training and fire-forged responsibility.
Films like Only the Brave, and why
Firestorm
fact-based firefighter drama centered on professional courage, teamwork, and dangerous wildfire operations
Ladder 49
emotionally direct true-story drama about working-class first responders facing lethal catastrophe
Backdraft
heroic disaster drama combining procedural intensity, sacrifice, and ensemble camaraderie
Deepwater Horizon
grounded biographical drama about collective heroism and devastating real-world loss
Movie Details
- Director
- Joseph Kosinski
- Release Date
- 2017-09-22
- Runtime
- 133 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (1960)
Cast
- Josh Brolin
- Miles Teller
- Jeff Bridges
- Jennifer Connelly
- James Badge Dale
- Taylor Kitsch
- Alex Russell
- Andie MacDowell
- Geoff Stults
- Thad Luckinbill
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Only the Brave about?
- A determined fire chief builds Prescott’s first municipal Hotshot crew, forging a family of elite firefighters whose courage is tested by a catastrophic wildfire.
- What is Only the Brave like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Only the Brave as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Only the Brave violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Only the Brave as mild.
- What did critics think of Only the Brave?
- Critics broadly found the fact-based firefighter drama stolidly powerful and emotionally affecting, supported by a strong veteran cast and impressive fire effects.
- Which films are like Only the Brave?
- Films with a similar feel include Firestorm, Ladder 49, Backdraft, and Deepwater Horizon.
- How long is Only the Brave?
- Only the Brave runs 133 minutes.
- Where can I watch Only the Brave?
- In United States, Only the Brave is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex.
