History Film / OnlyTheBrave

''Only the Brave'' is a 2017 {{Dramatization}} about the Granite Mountain Hotshots of the Prescott Fire Dept. starring Creator/JoshBrolin, Creator/JenniferConnelly, Creator/JeffBridges and Creator/MilesTeller.

* ManlyTears: [[spoiler:After he finds out the Granite Mountain crew all died (save one) in the Yarnell fire, the mayor breaks down into a sobbing heap.]]

* AdaptationDistillation: By necessity a lot of the story and several of the fires the Granite Mountain crew fights are left out before the fateful [[spoiler:Yarnell fire. After their deaths, there also was a [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-story-that-only-the-brave-leaves-out massive fight]] over survivor benefits with the town of Prescott, which denied them to the widows for ''years''. They also used some breathtakingly nasty tactics, such as telling the town their taxes would have to go up specifically because of the widows and driving some of them out of town. They finally lost a series of very public court battles over it and were forced to divulge the benefits. The movie simply skips over all this to a 'three years later' epilogue, making it seem like the town was still grateful and supportive to the fallen firefighters.]]

* AdaptationDistillation: By necessity a lot of the story and several of the fires the Granite Mountain crew fights are left out before the fateful [[spoiler:Yarnell fire. After their deaths, there also was a [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-story-that-only-the-brave-leaves-out massive fight]] over survivor benefits with the town of Prescott, which denied them to the widows for ''years''. They also used some breathtakingly nasty tactics, such as telling the town their taxes would have to go up specifically because of the widows and driving some of them out of town. They finally lost a very public court battle over it and were forced to divulge the benefits. The movie simply skips over all this to a 'three years later' epilogue, making it seem like the town was still grateful and supportive to the fallen firefighters.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Though he seems dubious about the feasibility of basing a Hotshot crew in their town, the mayor gives them the time they need to prove themselves and get certified. Eric himself as the crew's supervisor can be hard on them but makes sure to praise them too, and when he [[spoiler: tears into Brendan for wanting to switch off wildfires, he apologizes the next morning]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The burning bear is seen repeatedly, including in a dream of the supervisor Eric [[spoiler:right before they dispatch to Yarnell.]]
* GoryDiscretionShot: Though you see the burnover at the deployment site and the charred remains of their tools and fire shelters, you neither [[spoiler:have to watch the firefighters burn in their shelters, nor see their own charred remains when the rescue teams arrive at the site and confirm their deaths.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Though he seems dubious about the feasibility of basing a Hotshot crew in their town, the mayor gives them the time they need to prove themselves and get certified.
* RecoveredAddict: Brendan is a former pothead, but he's trying to stay clean and get a steady job so he can be a good father for his infant daughter.

* GoryDiscretionShot: Though you see the burnover at the deployment site and the charred remains of their tools and fire shelters, you neither [[spoiler:have to watch the firefighters burn in their shelters, nor see the charred remains when the rescue teams arrive at the site and confirms their deaths.]]

* {{Jerkass}}: The Hotshot crew lead early in the film is very dismissive of Eric's suggestions to save a community threatened by fire, basically telling them to stay out of the way and let the professionals work. Eric turns out to have been right, and the town goes up in smoke.

* {{Retirony}}: As they're heading to Yarnell, Eric tells Jesse this will be his last fire season. Then he's one of those caught in the fire.

--> '''Amanda:'''What's up?
--> '''Eric:'''Oh, a skunker[[note]]low-burning, uncrowned, minor fire[[/note]] down in Yarnell. It's no big deal.
--> '''Amanda:'''I love you Short Stop.
--> '''Eric:'''You too, Sugar Tits. Go back to sleep. I'll probably be home for dinner.

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: Mostly averted; a little drama is added but for the most part, the story is exactly as it took place in real life. [[spoiler:One of the only real differences is that in the real world, not all the burned bodies of the firemen were found in fire shelters, and to this day it is not known why as they were all deployed.]]

* BearsAreBadNews: Certainly ones made of fire, representing the danger fires bring. This comes from Eric's memory of one of his earliest fires, an entire forest goes up in flames and out comes running a bear on fire. He says he'd never seen anything so beautiful or so terrifying.

* AdaptationDistillation: By necessity a lot of the story and several of the fires the Granite Mountain crew fights are left out before the fateful [[spoiler:Yarnell fire. After their deaths, there also was a [[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-story-that-only-the-brave-leaves-out massive fight]] over survivor benefits with the town of Prescott, which denied them to the widows for ''years'' before they finally lost a very public court battle over it. The movie simply skips over all this to a 'three years later' epilogue, making it seem like the town was still grateful and supportive to the fallen firefighters.]]

* GoryDiscretionShot: Though you see the burnover at the deployment site, you neither [[spoiler:have to watch the firefighters burn in their shelters, nor see the charred remains when the rescue teams arrive at the site and confirms their deaths.]]

* GoryDiscretionShot: Fortunately, you neither [[spoiler:have to watch the firefighters burn in their shelters, nor see the charred remains when the rescue teams arrive at the site and confirms their deaths.]]

* TempingFate: As part of {{Retirony}}, this fateful conversation:
--> '''Eric:'''Oh, a skunker[[note]]low-burning, minor fire[[/note]] down in Yarnell. It's no big deal.