The Bravest is a recruitment video disguised as intense drama. It’s a good recruitment video, to be sure, with explosions and fire and noble sacrifice, but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, “What would I rate the world’s best PSA or instructional video?” Why, I remember a time I was so moved by the “Welcome to Jury Duty” video that I wept with uncontrollable gratitude until the bailiff forcibly removed me from the courthouse. There is no question some of you will feel that way about The Bravest. Most of you won’t.
Individual introductions are skimpy in this film. I’m sure this is by design to recognize the importance of unit and teamwork.It is kind of awesome in the context of war when you hear the order, “Hold this line at all costs!” In the context of a fire, it comes off as a little silly – I mean, when you run out of tools to fight the fire –as does happen in the film more than once- standing and waiting burn in defiance lacks a certain Devil-may-care charm, knowwhatI’msayin’?
If you do chance this film, get ready for a Beijing Sausage Festival, cuz –from what I can tell- there just aren’t female Chinese fire fighters. Also, this elite fire suppression unit consists of neither volunteers nor locals; these are all army guys with a fire/rescue specialty. We do get to learn about at least one man: Captain Jiang Liwei (Xiaoming Huang) saves a child from an opening scene inferno. The key CGI moment occurs when Captain Liwei cleverly dupes the fire into heading out the newly busted window instead of following them down the hall; I honestly didn’t know you could beat fire the same way you lose a stray dog. Following his heroism and “all in a day’s work” jive, the Captain orders a man to check out the wreckage – and take that noob with ya, so he can get blowed up real good.
Films like this rarely start with the good news; you gotta set up the need for redemption. The Captain here missed the fact that there were a series of loaded gas tanks on the ground floor and while he was devastated, the explosion was really cool.
The big test comes a week later when an entire petroleum plant is set to burst, the elite squadron has to take it down, and, wouldn’t you know it? Every single man is set to retire the very next day.
It bugs me -a lot- that two of the last three firefighting films I’ve seen (Only the Brave) had “Brave” in the title. I know titles are supposed to draw our attention and thus serve multiple purposes, but this particular pattern strikes me as a bit needy and desperate. Do we not believe people who risk their lives to put out fires are brave? I never questioned the thought before now … and now I’m questioning it (and Gryffindors). Well done, movie; your title had the exact opposite of its intended effect.
The Bravest is, quite honestly, a fantastic recruitment tool. Every army should have one to lure rubes to noble death in service of something greater. Fantastic explosions! Danger! Excitement! Sacrifice for the greater good! We want you! No film needs more than one self-sacrificial death and this film sought to give us four (4!), each announced with reverential pause –while a raging chemical fire was still burning, mind you- and each punctuated with memory flashbacks more poignant than any of the pre- stuff as if to say: you get a backstory when, and only when, you die a noble death. Isn’t that exactly what a soldier needs to hear? “You’re nothing until you’ve made that sacrifice?” I can’t say this film did much more than remind me that Michael Bay will always have a home somewhere; I have no doubt that this thing will be played often in Chinese military installations for years to come.
The special unit is on the attack
Bravery is a thing they don’t lack
Yet for all the heat
And nonexistent retreat
Movies are better when the fire fights back
Rated PG-13, 118 Minutes
Director: Tony Chan
Writer: Chao Wang, Yonggan Yu
Genre: Big explosions, big emotions – Michael Bay has a home here
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Chinese soldiers
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: The Heat Miser
