Only the Brave - Granite Mountain Hot Shot Movie

The Granite Mountain Hot Shot's movie, "Only the Brave," depicts the story of the 20-man Granite Mountain Hot Shot Crew of Prescott, Arizona.

Of those men, 19 perished on June 30, 2013, while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire (AZ). The single survivor, Brendan McDonough, was the lookout for the crew that day.

Inspired by a GQ article written by Sean Flynn, titled "No Exit," the film stars Josh Brolin as Eric Marsh, superintendent of the Granite Mountain Hot Shot crew, as well as Jennifer Connelly as Marsh's wife, Amanda Marsh.

GQ writes regarding the article: "Sean Flynn explains how a routine assignment resulted in the greatest loss of firefighters since 9/11."

The movie was released in 2017 and was written by Eric Singer and directed by Joseph Kosinski.  

In addition to Brolin and Connelly, Jeff Bridges plays Duane Steinbrink and Andie MacDowell, his wife, Marvel Steinbrink.

According to the Austin Daily Herald: "Steinbrink, a Lyle (MN) native, was well-acquainted with the hot shots. He served as the team’s first wildland division chief who helped to oversee the creation of the group in the 2000s."

"He had been retired for three years before the tragic fire, but its impact has remained vivid for the 65-year-old," the Austin Daily Herald reports.  

NPR notes that Brolin said the following regarding the movie in an interview: "During the training of what we did, they had 45-pound packs, and I made sure that they were always 45 pounds."

According to Brolin, the crew hiked between an estimated six and eight miles per day.

"I mean, they did it. They really, they truly went through it— they had an experience. And what came out of that is a brotherhood and a camaraderie that I don't know if I've ever felt in any other movie to that extent," he tells media (NPR).

The film is a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes long and is rated PG-13.

The movie chronicles the true story of the crew and Eric Marsh, including his fight to go from a Type 2 to Type 1 Hot Shot crew.

This movie is a heroic portrayal of the arduous battle fought by the crew on that fateful day.

Watch the movie here.

The men who inspired the movie “Only the Brave”

Along with Eric Marsh, the men who inspired the film “Only the Brave” and comprised the Granite Mountain Hot Shot crew, are Jesse Steed, Clayton Whitted, Robert Caldwell, Travis Carter, Travis Turbyfill, Chris Mackenzie, Andrew Ashcraft, Joe Thurston, Wade Parker, Anthony Rose, Garret Zuppiger, Scott Norris, Dustin DeFord, William Warneke, Kevin Woyjeck, John Percin, Grant McKee, Sean Misner, and Brendan McDonough (survivor).

Esse Quam Videri: "to be, rather than to seem."