This is not an action film about firefighting, but a drama about fire fighters. Josh Brolin plays the supervisor of a team of Hotshots and Miles Teller is the troubled loser whose commitment to the squad turns his life around. The actors bring these characters to life, while the good-natured ribbing and comaradarie helps us care for them. There’s some incredible images of the majesty and uncontrollable horror of wild fire, but their actual encounters aren’t all that riveting. Once you accept that this is more about the people, then you can appreciate their story. Even so, it’s not especially compelling (although the final scenes are powerful).
(3 / 5)