Only the Brave

The kind of movie where you know exactly where it’s headed, and it still guts you anyway. Josh Brolin doing rugged dad-energy leadership, Miles Teller with the reformed screw-up routine, Jennifer Connelly acting circles around most of the cast in her limited screen time. It’s sincere, a little corny, occasionally feels like a recruitment ad, but you can tell it’s made with heart. The fire sequences are terrifying in a way few disaster films manage, not because of spectacle, but because of the stillness before it hits. The ending punched me in the chest even though I saw it coming from a mile away. Not perfect, but damn if it didn’t leave me sitting in silence for a while after the credits.