The 33 (2015) (English Language)

Review

127min

Genre:    Fact-based, Drama

Director: Patricia Riggen

Cast:      Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche , Rodrigo Santoro…more

Writers:  Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten , Michael Thomas…and more

-Synopsis-

Big-screen dramatization of the real Chilean mining collapse of 2010 where 33 miners were trapped for over 2 months, while government officials and engineers from around the world struggled to rescue them from beneath 2,300 feet of solid rock, a story of struggle and hope which became a beacon of national pride and a global news sensation.

It’s difficult to believe that a movie about the “Copiapó mining accident” could be any more dramatic than the actual events, but with a culturally curious cast of Spanish, American, French, Irish and Brazilian actors all playing Chileans, who speak only in English, while employing “Hispanic” accents, Mexican director Patricia Riggen focuses on the human element to unabashedly tug at our heartstrings in this emotional, if formulaic tale of survival and redemption.

‘The 33’ is an effective film on a couple of levels, particularly as a lesson in very recent history about an extraordinary and ultimately feel-good story that’s almost unheard of in an unforgiving industry often forgotten by the west, but on which we depend for the precious minerals in our technologies, and in which around 12,000 miners die globally every year.

What began as a small story about tragedy and corporate negligence at a local private copper-gold mine, quickly became a national obsession with political consequences which forced the government to intervene, and which became a magnet for the world’s media… and goodwill.

Many eyebrows have been raised about the casting for ‘The 33’ which employs a multinational cast, led by Antonio Banderas, who deliver adequate performances that melodramatically try to personalize the characters of the men trapped as well as the people on the surface fighting to get them out.

Despite an effectively executed and captivating story, ‘The 33’ is just too predictable, not in terms of plot but in its familiar heightened dramatic style full of emotional cues and transparent moments of dramatic license taken with the story. Unfortunately for the producers the real story, which played out before our very eyes in great detail, is far more interesting and uplifting than any interpretation, making ‘The 33’ entertaining but ultimately redundant.

The Bottom Line…

In a very clear example of fact being stranger and more interesting than fiction, ‘The 33’ is a captivating and touching, but ultimately melodramatic and overly familiar interpretation of an extraordinary story of survival and hope, a stylishly packaged account of real and recent events that are already out there for us to see.

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Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Alive (1993)

Extraordinary true story of tragedy and survival as an Uruguayan Rugby team is stranded on the Andes mountains for over 2 months after a plane crash in 1972, as the survivors struggle to survive awaiting a rescue they will be forced to break the greatest taboo to stay Alive.

Directed by Frank Marshall and starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano and Josh Hamilton among others.

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