Thirteen Lives

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman, Paul Gleeson, Girati Sugiyama, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Pasakorn Hoyhon, Tanatat Srita, Sahajak Boonthanakit, Thira Chutikul, Vithaya Pansringarm
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Adventure
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A boys' soccer team is trapped deep inside a cave in Thailand. Rescuers from around the world converge on the cave in a race against time to free them.

Review:

Tim: I appreciate Thirteen Lives for so many reasons, but chief among them is that it's a reminder that Ron Howard is one of the all-time great directors. I think this film itself falls just below the "greatness" threshold, but it's an exceptionally well made, entertaining, powerful film. Howard delivering another movie of this caliber is just a reminder of how talented he is. This movie was wildly entertaining and one of the better films of 2022.

Like often happens with these "based on a true story" movies, I generally knew the story of the Thailand cave rescue from 2018. Like probably most Americans, I knew the broad strokes but not the details. This movie fills in those details in incredible fashion. We get to see how the thirteen members of the boys' soccer team got stuck in the cave with the rising water levels. We get to see the repeated unsuccessful attempts to reach them. We see as thousands from around the world converged on Thailand to offer their support and knowledge. We see how they eventually reach them and feel elation at that, but then the logistics of actually getting them out of the caves alive hits home. That was one of the brilliant aspects of the movie- getting to the boys, to see if they are still alive takes up so much of the film. It's (SPOILER) a sigh of relief when they finally reach them. But, the movie isn't over at that point. The most dangerous, unbelievable part of the story is just beginning. This was beyond fascinating to watch, to the point where I had to question whether this was an invention for the film (the basics of the rescue surprisingly are true). It's not something I heard about in the reports of the event in the media. It truly boggles the mind to consider how the rescuers attempted to get the boys out of the cave. It makes for a stunning story. Now, these are all the broad events- Howard directs a surprisingly complicated film with expertise. He hits these events, but never loses the viewers for a second. We're riveted as we watch these events play out. I learned a lot about the rescue, but I never once felt the urge to grab my phone and fact check the movie. I was totally engrossed in the action on screen. As I've said, Howard delivers something special in this movie- it's incredibly compelling.

Now, I suppose this could be a complaint- it bothered me a bit how all the main characters here were white. I know it was British divers who first reached the boys and I know Howard, an American, is directing the film in the U.S. The cast is large and many Thai actors appear on screen and have supporting roles. I wish the cast felt more balanced. Yes, we get many Thai characters and some, like a few of the Thai Navy SEALs and the governor have slightly larger roles, there's no question that they aren't the main focus of the movie. The main cast is exceptional, but I do wish more of the Thai characters played a larger role in the story. That is a product of the script, but a complaint nevertheless.

The cast is top notch, though. I loved seeing Viggo Mortensen in this role. Mortensen is a vastly underrated actor and he doesn't work nearly enough for my taste. It was incredible to see him step into this physical role. He headlines the cast, but he's content on keeping his character at a distance. He's a fascinating character for how he shows up- he works hard to keep space between himself and the others, he's not afraid to speak his mind. And yet, his prickly exterior doesn't completely hide his big heart. It's a performance that has many layers to it and it would be easy to dismiss as too surface-level. It's subtly powerful, though. Colin Farrell, on the other hand, gets to shine a bit more visibly. He's obviously lost a bunch of weight (for the role, but also from his running) and at times, I had to remind myself it was actually Farrell I was watching. I've always been a big Farrell fan and it's films like this that reinforce that over and over. Farrell gives this beautiful, poignant performance in the midst of an adventure drama. He forces you to understand and care about his character. How he does this is quite amazing- he's part of an ensemble and it's not like he gets significantly more screen time than others (more, to be sure, but this isn't "his" film). Yet, he emerges as the character you care the most about. I also loved when Joel Edgerton showed up. Edgerton is another one of these actors that I love seeing no matter what he's doing. His role is 3rd from the top (Mortesen and Farrell are clearly the stars), but the movie immediately picks up when Edgerton arrives. His strong performance makes the movie better. Teeradon Supapunpinyo is effective as the trapped team's coach and Sahajak Boonthanakit gets some strong moments as the governor, but as I said, they're too limited.

This is a long movie, at 2 hours 27 minutes. However, Howard hits the right tone and pacing so that you never feel disconnected. I was engrossed in the movie and had an incredible time watching it. From the character-driven moments, to the stunning underwater and cave cinematography, the movie is expertly crafted to pull you in. It's reminiscent of the tension Howard created in Apollo 13, although admittedly, it doesn't reach those heights. You're still watching with tight breath, the real-world results forgotten as you're watching to see what happens next. He makes the movie thoroughly exciting, intense, giving the sense that everything you're watching matters. The fact that it's based on a true story helps, as you marvel at the courage and ingenuity of those who risked their lives to save these boys.

Thirteen Lives just misses out on greatness- it could have been a bit tighter, could have ratcheted up the intensity even more. That's not the focus of this review, however. This is a movie we should celebrate- it's the kind of movie I will actively recommend to others. This isn't just one I would suggest when someone asks me for a recommendation, it's the kind of movie I'll proactively tell people they need to see. It'll likely miss out on my top 10 of 2022, but it's films like this that make every year in cinema a worthwhile year.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Apollo 13, Hidalgo, 127 Hours