The 33

The world is changing, and you can tell by many different signs. We are using energy sources, dropping out pollution, killing species that can not survive into the future. And it seems that people are waking up now, realising that we can not go on like this. Let´s go back in history, into a different time, when people tried to find energy sources. Here we should take a look at the coal mine industry. This used to be one of the most important energy sources, going all the way back into the 1800´s. With everything from trains, trucks, draglines, coal became a very important source in the machine world, in many different areas. Coal mines gave many people jobs, and helped many families to survive in hard econimical times. If we look at the coal mine industry today, you can see times have changed. Coal mines are closed, and the coal industry is not as big as it used to be. But there are countries that still use coal mines, and i think one of the countries we will never forget is Chile, especially in the year of 2010. A coal mine in the Atacama Desert, in northern Chile, trapped 33 miners underneath the surface at 2300 feet underground ( 700 metres ). This became one of the biggest news topics worldwide, if these miners was dead, or if they had a chance to live, considering how hard it would be to get them out. Luckily, all 33 people survived, and some of them was injured, but not in a lethal way. Since the story came out, miners have been interviewed how they managed to survive, including documentaries on TV. So i am not surprised that we now have an american film, based on the events of the coal mine disaster in 2010. I have heard that they were going to make a film adaptation of this story, but did not know what to expect. The 33 did screen in selected countries, but not in many theatres. The reason for that ? I have no idea, but i am always curious to see new releases. Is this film, based on the true events in Chile, suprisingly emotional, or is it a typical Hollywood cliché film with nothing to offer ?

A group of miners, Mario Sepúlveda ( Antonio Banderas ), Luis Urzúa ( Lou Diamond Phillips ), Álex Vega ( Mario Casas ), Dario Segovia ( Juan Pablo Rava ), among many others, head down the San José mine, to work 2300 feet underground. Before they all go down, Luis warn the owner that the stability of the mine is not good, and he want to make sure that the miners will be safe. But the owner does not listen, and suggest that there is no danger. After working down there for a while, the mine begin to collapse. The only way out is blocked and all miners are trapped underneath the earth. Minister Laurence Golborne ( Rodrigo Santoro ), heads out towards the San José mine, to see how bad the situation is. He inform the families that they might not be able to help the men. The families does not give up, and demand that the government do something. Maria Segovia ( Juliette Binoche ), sister of Dario who is trapped underneath the mine, is making sure that every single family is heard. President Sebastián Pinera ( Bob Gunton ), president of Chile, knows that they are forced to try and get the miners out. So they decide to send in André Sougarret ( Gabriel Byrne ) to manage the operation of drilling the men out. But the question is, is it impossible to make this work, or could the rest of the mine collapse ?

While watching The 33, you already know what happened down in the coal mine, so you are not expecting any suprises to show up. But that´s ok, because this is supposed to show us one side of the story, how these men managed to survive, being trapped down there for 69 days. It is hard to understand how it would feel, to not being able to go anywhere, and you are helpless in this situation. One of the things i found is interesting with this film adaptation, based on the true events of this mining disaster, is the casting list. We have Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Gabriel Byrne, Juliette Binoche, Lou Diamond Phillips, Oscar Nunez and many others. So you might think that with such a big cast, that we have a very emotional, dramatic performance in our hands. We do have good performances, and that is what makes this film work. Since we already know the story of what happened, you need the actors to deliver their characters, to make us want to sit down for over 2 hours. One of the best performances here is actually from Antonio Banderas. I can´t say i have enjoyed many of his films in recent years, but i know he can act if he get the right character. So choosing Antonio as Mario Sepúlveda was the right choice.Also, i have to say Lou Diamond Phillips does his best performance in many years. Now, let´s talk about the film itself. Don´t expect a lot of action, because this is supposed to be a film based on how these miners survived. But i am ok with all the dialogue scenes, at least most of them. You need to create a certain feeling of what it could be like to be trapped underneath the earth, and how you deal with it, and the cast does manage to give us that feeling. Another interesting view is the political view on this event, did the politicans make the right decisions ? Director Patricia Riggen have directed 2 feature films in the past, and i have not seen none of them. But i think she manage quite well with The 33, to capture the feeling of the coal mining disaster. It is sentimental at times, but at the same time, what would you expect with a film like this ? Could it have been more raw, and given us a different portrait of the men ? Perhaps, but i still see The 33 as an good example of how important it is to have family, and not loose hope, even how dark it may seem. I would not say that The 33 is a movie that needs to be seen, because of the story. But, if you are interested in what happened, then i would say that you might find this interesting. One thing is for sure, i would never go down in a coal mine, unless Nicolas Cage is with me, because i know he can get us out, in all situations. I think Left Behind proved that.

Rating: DDD