Kosinski's directing, the team of writers, the ensemble of actors and actresses, and of course everyone else doing the dirty work should be commended for the work here.
As much as this a tribute to the men on the team, it's also a great film to honor those lives who were affected by the team in any way shape or form. Jennifer Connelly had the biggest supporting role, as the wife of Brolin's character, but that was far from the only character's personal life I felt attached to. Going along with the bonds they have with each other, the film focuses heavily on a few of the men's personal lives, which is where the real emotion lied for me. Perhaps more than anything else, Only the Brave completely nailed the bond between the team of hotshots. In order to feel anything when these men are entering the flames, there has to be real friendships and relationships built between the actors as these real life heroes. Directed by Joseph Kosinski and starring Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, and Taylor Kitsch among others all of them do a great job of creating a chemistry and realness between each other. When done right, they can be extremely powerful.
A group of people who you grow fond of during the course of a film band together in the most dangerous of circumstances for a common cause. It's films like this that always move me the most. Only the Brave tells the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who risked their lives to stop wildfires across the country. There have only been a few movies in which the theater I was in went completely silent as the credits rolled.