The 33
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mario Casas, Jacob Vargas, Juan Pablo Raba, Oscar Nunez, Tenoch Huerta
Directed by: Patricia Riggen
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: 33 miners are stuck deep underground in Chile and those on the outside make a valiant attempt to rescue them.

Review:

Tim: I couldn't get very excited about The 33. I remember the real life event of 33 Chilean miners being stuck for 60+ days and I remembered how the story ended. So, what was the appeal of seeing this movie? Well, I saw it anyway, and I'm glad I did. This is a thoroughly entertaining, informative, well-made movie. It takes a real-life event and tells the (somewhat fictionalized) story. It's a story about courage, determination, perseverance, and human ingenuity. What's not to like?

This movie had some interesting challenges. First off, 33 people are way too many for a two hour movie. There's no way we would get to know all of these characters. The film does a good job of introducing enough characters so that the cast feels expansive and we know enough of the miners to care about all of them. It's an interesting balancing act. I felt like I knew the miners, when really, we only get to know a handful of them. It's a big strength of the film. That being said, I do wish we got to know a few more a bit more deeply. This would have been challenging without extending the run time, so although it's a strength of the film, I do wish they would have went even further.

It was a good call casting Antonio Banderas in the lead role. He's a talented enough and recognizable actor, so he's able to carry the most important role of the film. I loved that his character was presented as real and flawed, not as a Hollywood hero. I thought he did a good job in that role. Rodrigo Santoro is quietly becoming an actor I look forward to seeing and he gave another good performance here. He doesn't do anything remarkable, but he delivers a good enough performance and helps the film. He might never be truly great, but he's solid here. Juliette Binoche was fine. She's a talented actress and I didn't have any massive issues with her performance, but I never loved her here. James Brolin was fun to see, but he just has far too little to do. I'm a big fan of Lou Diamond Phillips and I was glad he got a few strong moments to shine here. I wish more people would cast him. He certainly helped make the film better. As a fan of "The Office", it was a real pleasure to see Oscar Nunez here and it was even better that he managed to hold his own in the cast and bring some much-needed levity to the film. I enjoyed his performance.

Director Patricia Riggen did a good job of telling an interesting story, ensuring the human element was never lost, and keeping us entertained. The movie might have been a bit too long, but it doesn't feel that way. My attention was kept throughout the film as I learned about the miners' plight. This is the kind of movie that pits humanity against mother nature, so it's fun to see if human ingenuity and intelligence can win against overwhelming odds. The claustrophobic, suffocating reality of being trapped underground is shown in impressive detail. It's hard to believe humans have the endurance and tenacity to survive something like this.

The 33 definitely won me over. It's an entertaining, well made movie. It tells a powerful story that too many Americans (myself included) just about forgot after it disappeared from the news cycle. This is a very solid movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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