With such a harrowing and inspiring real-life subject and a talented cast and crew, 'Only the Brave' had a lot going for it and the potential was enormous.

Potential that was more than lived up to. No other film this year so far has affected me emotionally as much as 'Only the Brave', even 'God's Own Country'. 'Only the Brave' is to me one of the best films of 2017, one can argue thus far but the end of the year is near so will leave out the thus far, considering that 2017 has been a very inconsistent year for films this is saying a fair bit. Like what was said in my review for 'Paddington 2', another highlight film of the year, after seeing my fair share of overblown big-budget blockbusters with little soul, films that waste great premises and films that attempted laugh-a-minute laughs and doing it in a way that came at the expense of heart, 'Only the Brave' was a much needed refreshment. Having said that, it is also a wonderful film in its own right.

'Only the Brave' is exceptionally made on a visual level. The cinematography in particular is done beautifully and the practical effects will leave one spellbound. The music drives the action well and fits the film's tone, while the direction has both a hard and sympathetic edge that allows the drama to have full impact while not going over the top either way of overblown or anaemic.

The writing is intelligent and poignant, really making one think. The story is particularly good in 'Only the Brave'. It captures the full harrowing impact of this tragic event, without ever getting excessive and the action is certainly the opposite of trivialised. The final act is one of the most earth-shattering and emotionally devastating of any film in a long time to me, it really hit me hard. Underneath all the emotion however, it also pays tribute to these courageous individuals, doing it in a way that's honest and inspirational.

Another truly impressive component is the acting. Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges are especially perfectly cast, while the support from Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly is similarly on point.

In conclusion, a brilliant, incredibly powerful, moving and exceptionally made and acted film and one of the year's best. 10/10 Bethany Cox

ONLY THE BRAVE is a true-life firefighting drama following a team as they strive to battle a massive, out-of-control wildfire in the Arizona brush. Truth be told, so-called 'worthy' dramas like this leave me cold a little; they always strive to include interesting, all-star casts but then waste them on the usual scenes of bonding and bravado. The characters here feel very ordinary, not really worthy of note, and actors like Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges do their best but don't really add much life to them. The cinematography is okay; the film's realism is spoilt by the odd dodgy bit of CGI (that darned burning bear, for instance) but generally sound. The slow pace means that the running time gets filled up by the usual family melodrama and the like. However, things suddenly make sense at the end, where it becomes powerful and moving stuff; a pity it didn't have the same strong writing earlier on.

In Prescott, Arizona, Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) is frustrated that his firefighters are kept from the frontline as elite Hotshots dismiss them. He and his wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly) have a volatile relationship and a horse ranch. Brendan "Donut" McDonough (Miles Teller) is a young recruit struggling to deal with impending parenthood.

It treats the story with respect and the formulaic telling with competence. I'm less compelled by the individual relationships. I don't really care about the conflict in Marsh's marriage. Donut has some cute moments although the baby stuff is too cute by half. While there are some heartfelt scenes between the frat bravado, the firefighting is the epic heart of this movie. This would work better with them fighting the fire while flashbacks fill in the spaces in between. The structure of the film needs some more imagination. Overall, the subject matter is sincere and this is generally done well.