Based on a true story, this film is about the Granite Mountain Hotshots who battled against the Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona in 2013.

The members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were just regular guys, but they were also members of a true elite* who risked their lives containing fast-spreading wildfires. However bad-tempered they may have been off-duty, they were Medal of Honor material on the job.

At first, the outfit overseen by “Supe” Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) aren’t yet in the major leagues of firefighting. They’re a Prescott, Arizona municipal team trying to crack through to cherished “hotshots” status. A table-setting scene of the men at work provides vivid evidence of the amazing rapidity* with which wildfires can spread, and also serves as a springboard* for Supe’s crew to win acceptance into the elite of firefighters.

Since such a unit consists of 20 firefighters, we’re not about to get to know many of the men very well. The well-written script by Ken Nolan and Eric Warren Singer decides to focus on the most capable, Supe, who has what seems like a great marriage to loving Amanda (Jennifer Connelly), a horse whisperer for battered* steeds, and Brendan “Donut” McDonough (Miles Teller). When first met, the latter is a drug addict who’s just gotten a girl pregnant*. He’s got a long road back to redemption*.

After just this straightforward bit of setup, the film has already succeeded in immersing the viewer in a particular way of life. When it’s time to relax, the guys know how to do it Western-style with liquor and jokes. And music, too, of course, some of it supplied by Supe’s closest friend, old fire chief Duane Steinbrink (Jeff Bridges).

It’s hard not to admire these guys, who work very hard for very little other than the satisfaction of doing the job well.

The tragic climax* is a mighty and grim thing to watch, a catastrophe* dictated by stupid mistakes, misfortunes and the whims* of nature. No one was more qualified or could have been better prepared to face the adversities* of that day than this squad, which had set so many controlled burns before. It was just a day when very bad luck beat very good preparation.