'The Lost Bus' Review: Matthew McConaughey and America Ferrera Turn Up The Heat In A Fall Blockbuster Possibly Too Hot to Handle

"What do we do with the kids if the fire comes?"

Director Paul Greengrass knows a thing or two about bringing true stories to the silver screen in spectacular fashion. Coming from his days as the filmmaker behind harrowing movies like "United 93," the British director understands how to give real-life events depth and nuance while developing characters worth fighting for. His latest project, "The Lost Bus," premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to cheers and thrills that will undoubtedly melt hearts and leave you on the edge of your seat.

"The Lost Bus" stars Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay, a school bus driver living in the small California town of Paradise. But as the audience soon learns, the town of Paradise will regret its namesake as a dangerous wildfire is about to upend the county's landscape and displace its loyal residents. But Kevin doesn't know that, obviously, when the film starts, as he contends with a rebellious teenage son and an aging mother living under his roof.

Divorced and just trying to get by, Kevin's desire to keep his job and contribute to his community tends to be top of mind. So when the response to the growing fire in the area feels lackluster, the local school bus driver takes it upon himself to do what he can to get medicine to his sick son and help his small family get out of harm's way. Unfortunately for Kevin and his altruistic nature, he responds to a plea from dispatch for any bus driver willing to pick a classroom of elementary school children up from a school in the fire's red zone and drive them to an evacuation center.

Led by school teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), the group of kids boards Kevin's yellow school bus for what they hope is a short ride to safety. But because the now-titled Camp Fire is raging in the area at uncontrolled speeds, the bus finds itself in the middle of the blaze, without access to authorities or information about where to go. The kids and Mary's only hope is bus driver Kevin, who knows the area and has a determined spirit to get everyone to safety in time to check on his mom and son.

"The Lost Bus" is a torturous crowd-pleaser that never wavers in its intent to bring action, suspense, and a grounding sense of reality to the big screen. McConaughey and Ferrera are a dynamite duo with a focus on creating characters that feel authentic while also telling the story of real heroes who faced danger head-on. With an intensity that grows simultaneously as the fire grows around them, McConaughey and Ferrera prove to be worthy allies in sharing a premise that asks a lot of questions with minimal answers.

Not since "Backdraft" has a movie focused on fires been so, pardon the pun, explosive. Paul Greengrass delves into the multifaceted challenges California faces regarding fires and the annual dangers they pose. The film is nail-biting from practically the first frame to the last as Greengrass's camera provides realism that's almost too hot to handle, while placing blame on PG&E for their role in a real incident that became the deadliest wildfire in the state's history.

Director Paul Greengrass gives a natural disaster the personal touch by focusing on the people who protected the vulnerable in this true-to-life story. James Newton Howard complements Greengrass's style with a thunderous score to a movie that might be the best bus film since "Speed." Like its predecessor, "The Lost Bus" gives the audience a villain to despise, a charismatic duo hellbent on saving the bus's inhabitants, and a blockbuster full of thrilling cinematography and sweaty palms by the time the credits roll.