The 33 (2015)

I don't believe in reviewing over 10 pages, so here's my quick take on it... I really enjoyed this film in general, I remember the story well because I'm an avid news reader, BUT.. . Probably the biggest issue, (at least for me, and I'll leave the long-form reviewers write about the rest), was the casting. I found it incredibly cringe-worthy whenever Juliette Binoche was on screen, as if some tan makeup was going to make her Chilean, the Chilean Minister of Mining being a male model in his 20's, but most egregious of all was the godawful choice of Bog Gunton as president of Chile. Really?? We've all seen him in a dozen films and series playing the role of the power-hungry, overly ambitious and morally bankrupt politician, which he's always portrayed adequately but never amazing, but it was an incredible shame to cast him at all, never mind in the role of CHILEAN president!! It would take most viewers right out of the film, and especially make most cinephiles just cringe. I don't know what word would describe it better than that. All that being said, it's a very enjoyable movie honouring the right kind of human cooperation and national effort. Too bad it was so much of a political stunt, without which opportunity the government of Chile would've let those miners die without batting an eye.

Fmovies: "That's not a rock. That's the heart of the mountain. She finally broke." August 5, 2010 started out like any other day. Mario (Banderas) and 32 other miners headed down in a mountain looking for gold. While they are underground the unthinkable happens. Now, with only enough food and water for 30 people for 3 days the 33 trapped miners must ban together and fight in order to survive long enough to be rescued. This is a difficult movie to make emotional. The subject matter lends itself to it, but this only happened 6 years ago and most people remember the events and the outcome. The fact that most people know how this will turn out is a hard thing to overcome. This movie did that and more. The movie was tense, emotional and really sucks you in. You are on the edge of your seat almost the entire time and you actually forget you know how it will turn out. That is a tremendous thing for a movie to pull off. This is a great movie for all ages and I recommend this. The movie fills you with hope and shows what humans can do when their backs are against the wall. Overall, one of the best movies of the year. I highly recommend this. I give this an A-.

For sixty-nine days in the summer and autumn of 2010, the world was transfixed by a human-interest story like few others in history. It involved the plight of thirty-three mineworkers trapped inside an unstable mountain mine in the Atacama Desert in the southern part of Chile. During what appeared to be a routine mining operation some two thousand feet below the desert surface on August 5, 2010, the mountain started shifting very violently, trapping these workers in a shelter, blocked by a mass of rock twice the size of New York's Empire State Building. With three days worth of rations, the miners managed to survive an extra two weeks before massive drills managed to reach them with additional supplies. But during that time, it was necessary to engage in a very careful rescue operation that took an additional seven and a half weeks; and it involved a great deal of risk. Utilizing a Phoenix rescue capsule designed in the U.S., the multi-national rescue operation resulted in all thirty-three men coming out of there alive on October 13th, some in very bad shape, but all in one piece, physically anyway. This is the story told in the 2015 movie THE 33.

Well directed by Patricia Riggen, a Mexican-born female director whose credits include 2007's UNDER THE SAME MOON, THE 33 stars Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Phillips as the principal leaders of the miners who find themselves trapped in that mountain, literally between a rock and a hard place, and a Chilean mining company and government that seem unwilling to believe that any of them are alive. The claustrophobic nature of the saga is very well depicted by Riggen, and give the added gravitas by the largely Latin American cast that portray the miners, including Banderas and Phillips. A fair amount of this film was made on location not far from the actual mine itself, in Copiapo, Chile; and the remoteness is photographed with the utmost stark reality imaginable. Riggen also depicts the kind of international media attention that the story got, and how the families and wives of the miners, including Juliette Binoche, who portrays the wife of miner Dario Segovia, played in the film by Juan Pablo Rada, angrily pressed the case for the Chilean government to do more, even to the point of asking for help from outside sources, including an American mining and drilling expert portrayed by James Brolin. Gabriel Byrne and Rodrigo Santoro portray the government officials charged with finding a way of drilling down to the miners without making the mountain even more unstable than it already is, and thus guaranteeing a cave-in that would make rescue impossible.

While it may be easy to portray the Chilean mine disaster depicted in THE 33 as an example of corporate malfeasance that had nearly fatal results, that socio-political aspect is not really discussed in the film, although when the end credits (featuring the real life miners) roll, the end title card indicates that the mining company never compensated the miners for their nearly ten weeks of psychological and spiritual horror (in essence, they got the Shaft, so to speak). The film, however, does go to great lengths to depict the aforementioned psychological and spiritual horror they went through, including a subtle hint that, unless food was sent down to them, they might resort to cannibalism if any of them died off in that hellhole, where temperatures reached 100 degrees Fahrenheit the entire time. Even without this hint, though, the film that THE 33 most closely resembles is 1993's ALIVE, which depicted the survivors

The 33 fmovies. With its empowering story, visuals and acting, this film brings another true survival story to life. A group of thirty three gold miners go to work in the underlying mountains of Chile when their lives quickly turn upside down. Stranded by the collapse of the rocks, the men are forced to work together, struggle for food, stay optimistic despite their life threatening condition. With every second so crucial, the intensity of the film leaves the audience on the edge of their seats.

Watching this film made me feel the pain of the miners, the anxiety of the families and the stress of the rescue team. I could personally feel the struggle from every side of the story. This is an amazing aspect of the film, especially because it is based on a true story. What better way to gain awareness than to make individuals feel the experience for themselves. I felt like throwing up throughout the whole movie and that just shows how amazingly the filmmakers depicted this horrifyingly true story of the innocent men who were stranded and their struggle to survive.

The filmmakers have created a film that makes the audience feel as though they are experiencing the struggle rather than just watching it. I felt as if I was starving and becoming dehydrated just by watching. It's what makes the movie feel so real.

The persuasive acting contributes to the empowering movie, especially Antonio Banderas whose performance as the leader, Mario was so believable. It's a role completely different from what he usually plays and he made me believe he was a Chilean miner. Usually films based on tragic events feel depressing but this film feels empowering and comedic in certain scenes. I enjoyed that.

The film didn't make the best impression at first but, it became very engaging and strong towards the end. I give a lot of credit to its great ending because, in my opinion, an ending can really make or break a movie.

I give the movie four out of five stars and recommend it for people between the ages of 13 and 18. Adults will enjoy it as well.

Reviewed by Harmony M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 16

Greetings again from the darkness. How do you structure a film based on a true story that lasted 69 days, occurred 5 years ago, and was followed live on TV by half of the global population? Director Patricia Riggen (Girl in Progress, 2012) delivers a film designed to tug on heartstrings, and is based on the book "Deep Down Dark" from Hector Tobar, as well as interviews with the key players.

In 2010, the San Jose copper/gold mine collapsed trapping 33 miners more than 2300 feet under tons of rubble and an unstable rock that dwarfed the Empire State Building. Through some pretty solid special effects, we are there for the collapse. It's this segment and the immediate reactions from the miners that provide the film's best segment. We feel the miner's sense of panic and doom as they begin to come to grips with their plight.

The film rotates between three struggles: the isolation of the miners struggling to survive, the tent city populated by their families struggling to maintain hope, and the Chilean government struggling with the politics and public relations of a rescue mission. From a character standpoint, each of these three segments is given a face. Antonio Banderas as Mario becomes the focal point of the miners. He searches for an escape route, takes charge of the (very limited) food rations, and acts as referee and light of hope in an extremely volatile situation. Juliette Binoche (yes the French actress) is Maria, the sister of one of the trapped miners and the most assertive of those pushing the government to attempt a rescue. Rodrigo Santoro plays Laurence Goldborne, Chile's Minister of Mining, and the one who pushes the government to move forward with the costly rescue mission.

Other key characters include Bob Gunton as Chile's President Pinera, Lou Diamond Phillips as "Don Lucho", the safety inspector, Gabriel Byrne as the chief engineer, James Brolin as Jeff Hart (leading the U.S. drilling team), Naomi Scott as Mario's wife, and three of the other miners: Oscar Nunez, Mario Casas, and Juan Pablo Raba.

The most bizarre segment comes courtesy of miner hallucinations. It's a fantasy-infused Last Supper sequence that plays out to the sounds of a Bellini opera, while the food and drink flow and the family members join in the joy. It's not difficult to imagine the brain taking these poor gentlemen to such places of mental torture.

As if the approach is to make the most viewer-friendly buried miner film possible, we aren't witness to much underground conflict, and the internal bickering within the Chilean government officials is kept to a minimum. We do get to see the media circus that occurred during the ordeal Â… of course, most of us witnessed it in real time.

Director Riggen has delivered a film that taps into the multitude of emotions for the different groups of people, rather than concentrating on the miserable situation of the miners. It's a challenge to keep us interested in a true story of which we all know the ending, but most viewers will stay engaged with the characters. It should also be noted that the minimalistic score is some of the last work from the late, great James Horner.

I just saw this at Twin Cities Film Fest this weekend. The 33 chronicled the event that gripped the international community when 33 Chilean miners were buried under 100- year-old gold and copper mine and trapped for 69 days.

Director Patricia Riggen did a phenomenal job telling a compelling story of human resilience and the courage of both the miners and their families above ground who refused to give up. Great ensemble cast featuring Antonio Banderas, Juliette Binoche, Lou Diamond Philips, Rodrigo Santoro, and Gabriel Byrne. It was exquisitely shot by Checco Varese, which was shot on location in two different mines in Bolivia, Colombia. It certainly looked authentic as the environment of the set made the actors felt as if they were real miners for a while. The 33 miners were also consulted for the film.

There were moments that might have felt too 'Hollywoodized' but overall the film didn't feel emotionally manipulated. The genuinely stirring score came from the late James Horner, which the film paid tribute in the end. It's not a perfect film but I think the film was respectful to the subject matter and did the story and those miners justice.

– read more new releases reviews on FlixChatter.net