“You are my Brothers, and we will pull together to get out of here…”
Brought to the big screen by Director Patricia Riggen and based on the book “Deep Down Dark” By Hector Tobar ~ we embark on the tale of 33 Chilian Miners who are forced to learn to survive on little more than hope, as they must endure their entombment underground for 69 days…THIS IS THE 33!
Living the same life as many of his fellow countryman do – Miner by day~ loving family man by night ~ we meet Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas) as he rallies the troops for another exhibition underground.
When foreman Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Phillips) realizes that it appears their mine is shifting, he brings this pertinent information to his boss, it seems that it is falling on deaf ears.
As the men journey deeper and deeper into the mine, it becomes apparent very quickly that something is wrong…as the men scramble to find solace in the large open area within the cavern ~ it seems that they are all alive, but trapped deep within the center of the mine. But, lucky for them, the mine owners have provided safety features within the mine so they were prepared for such an incident ~ like story enough food and water to sustain these men till they are rescued ~ or maybe not!!!
When the news of the collapse reaches the miners families, they hold vigil outside the mine, asking for answers on how this could have happened, and what is the mine owner, and the President of Chili going to do, to free their loved ones…
Directed to secure what ever means possible to get these 33 miners out ~no matter what the cost ~ Presidential advisor Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro) has reached out to his countryman for answers, and to other countries too ~ as it seems it is going to take the assistance of many countries on Chili’s behalf to get to these men, and to hopefully, bring them all back to the surface ALIVE…
I give THE 33 a rating between MUST SEE ON THE BIG SCREEN & WAIT AND CATCH IT ON DVD – I love real life stories, and once again this year, the studios are going for the REAL FACTOR in producing THE 33. Banderas is as fantastic as he always is, and seeing Phillips on back in action was enjoyable to view too. Binoche was also enjoyable to watch, as the sister on a mission to retrieve her little brother, and not excepting the governments lame ass excuses for why things aren’t happening faster, and it was good too to see Josh Brolin’s Daddy James back on the big screen as well ~ as it’s been quite a long time ~ as he, plays the American that finally GETS THE JOB DONE. But, even though the acting was good across the board, and the cinematography throughout was very realistic and heart-wrenching too, parts of this film seemed to drag on, and on, and on for me~ maybe it was done that way so that we felt like we were actually STUCK with them for their 69 days in captivity ~ but I think that moving the storyline along would have made for a more enjoyable viewing experience when it was all said and done. If you love courageous true stories with frame after frame of acceptable acting, then head out to a theater near you this weekend to catch this film…but, if your not feeling like it’s a MUST SEE IN THEATERS after reading this review, you’ll be just as happy if you wait to catch it when it comes out on DVD then too!
Kathy Kaiser
MATINEE CHAT with Kathy Kaiser 