User reviews

Based on the true story of 33 miners who go into a mine in Chile to have a big rock get in-between them and the surface, and they have to survive long enough to be rescued.

I thought the movie was very detailed and complete about what the miners and their families went through during this ordeal. I never felt I missed any part of it.

It was never boring, always interesting, which I did not expect, but a lot went on in those three mouths and it was captured wonderfully on the screen.

Antonio Banderas was great as Mario, who kept the men together long enough to survive.

And even though I knew the outcome, the 33 makes you feel for each character, which allows suspense.

Well done and heartwarming, hitting on the rights spots and leaving me all filled up inside.

"That's not a rock, that's the heart of the mountain. She finally broke."

Five years ago the eyes of the entire South American population were placed on a relatively unknown small mining town in Chile. When the San Jose mine collapsed in Copiapo, 33 miners were trapped under more than 2000 feet, and the news travelled fast. It isn't uncommon to hear about these tragic mining accidents, but what stood out here was that the family members never lost hope and established camp near the site to force authorities to not give up and continue the rescue efforts. After two and a half weeks of uncertainty and against all odds, the rescuers managed to contact the refuge in the mine where all 33 miners reported to be alive and well. That was just the beginning of a long and exhaustive rescue effort that would last more than two months, and that every media channel covered 24 hours a day. The story is recent and we all saw it take place live on our TV sets, so the real question I had for Patricia Riggen's film was whether or not she could make this captivating enough to hold our interest despite the familiarity of the story. Surprisingly she succeeded. The film is deeply flawed and for commercial purposes it had an international cast that spoke in English with a forced Chilean accent. I hate movies that do this (if you want to tell the story in English then just have the actors speak in plain English; you're not more convincing because you do it with an accent), but despite that pet peeve of mine, the film managed to draw me in emotionally and I found it to be a beautiful and honest tribute. I can understand those who criticize the movie because it isn't perfect, but there were several emotional scenes where I literally had goose bumps all over my arms, and that is always an indicator for me that the movie is accomplishing its purpose.

One of the main characters in this film, the miner who kept the group together under those critical conditions, was Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas). He never lost hope and promised the rest of his friends that he would keep them alive. His wife, Escarlette (Naomi Scott), was one of the supporters who decided to set camp outside the site to force authorities to continue their rescue efforts. The other main supporter was Maria Segovia (Juliette Binoche) who refused to believe that her brother, Dario (Juan Pablo Raba) was dead. Along with other family members and with the help of the media they put pressure on the government to save their lives. The Mining Minister, Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro), and mining expert, Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne), were given the difficult task to come up with a plan to rescue these miners who were buried deep underground. Meanwhile under the heart of the mountain, Mario was in charge of keeping the group spirit alive and avoiding they end up driving each other crazy due to the lack of food and water. He lifted Alex's (Mario Casas) spirit when he was falling into despair reminding him that his pregnant wife Jessica (Cote de Pablo) was waiting for him, he also protected the only Bolivian in the crew, Carlos Mamani (Tenoch Huerta), who was pushed aside by everyone else for being a foreigner, and he also encouraged Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Phillips), who felt had failed the team because he knew the security conditions were bad. Rigged delivers both sides of the story: the 33 miners struggling to survive from the inside and the family members and the rescue team fighting to save them from the outside.

I wasn't really into the film during its first thirty minutes because I was upset the characters were speaking in English with Spanish accents (to make matters worse there is a scene where a famous Chilean TV star named Don Francisco shows up and gives a report in Spanish), but midway into the movie the emotional drama picks up. There is a superb scene in which the miners are imagining eating their last supper together, and it was one of the most touching scenes I've seen this year. The visual effects weren't mesmerizing, but the collapse of the mine is believable. It takes a while to get used to the dark cinematography inside the mines where you can't tell most of the characters apart from each other. I'd say there are only about five miners who you can recall from the film, the rest are just there and are given no personality whatsoever. Those are some of my minor complaints for this film, but other than that the material was handled respectfully and James Horner's final musical composition helps build the emotional moments. Another memorable moment was when Cote de Pablo sings a beautiful song, Gracias a la Vida, while the families are awaiting for any news from the rescue team. Antonio Banderas delivers a great performance as Mario and he is one of the reasons why the dramatic moments worked so well. Despite knowing the story, it was still exciting and emotional to experience it in this flawed but touching film. There is also a funny and recurring gag on one of the miners (Oscar Nuñez) who had his wife and lover waiting for him in the camp. The film might not be entirely accurate, but it is still a well made film and a decent tribute.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

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

We all remember five years ago when the story of 33 miners trapped 700 meters underground caught the world by storm. Everyone was asking: Are they alive? How are they going to make it out of there?. I think there's no need to say how it ended. Since then we've gotten tons of news announcing a big budget film about San José's rescue. The thing everyone's asking right know is: Is it any good?

First things first: Patricia Riggen. Her direction is absolutely brilliant, managing to alternate between tense and emotional scenes almost perfectly. The acting as well is outstanding, with Antonio Banderas (Mario Sepúlveda) and Rodrigo Santoro (Laurence Golborne) being the most notable. Also, Cote De Pablo (Jessica Salgado) brings a big emotional push into the movie with a beautiful interpretation of "Gracias a la Vida" by Violeta Parra. Juliette Binoche (María Segovia) was also very good. In general, every actor and actress in this movie gave a solid performance. The screenplay is very well written, giving the characters a lot of development and personality. The soundtrack (Composed by James Horner) is also very good, mixing chilean instruments with big orchestra compositions that fit the movie perfectly. The CGI is OK, nothing groundbreaking, but it gets the job done.

It's not a faultless film though, it has it's flaws. The are times when the movie loses it's pace and gets slow. Also, the editing, being mostly very good, it's evident that there where scenes in the movie that were cut from the final product, an issue that can leave some viewers confused. There's a little bit of shaky cam as well, not a big complain, but it can get very disorienting at times.

Overall, even if it's not perfect, it's still a great movie that succeeds at telling the story of the 33 miners. Hopeful and inspiring, it's worth watching at least once.

8.4/10

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 … 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.

In this true-life story, the title relates to the number of miners trapped in a copper mine in Chile, in 2010. It's a compelling premise. We feel for the miners in their small, claustrophobic hole some two thousand feet below the surface. And we empathize with anxious family and friends above ground who desperately want the men rescued.

Based on the follow-up book "Deep Down Dark", the script has some problems. Characterization is minimal. Barely twenty minutes in, the mine's collapse supersedes characterization. If you're not familiar with the people by then, too bad; miners and their family members tend to take on a stick figure quality, one character pretty much blends in with some other character.

English dialogue in a Spanish speaking country comes across as unrealistic. But much worse is the stilted, contrived nature of the chat; overwrought drama, anguish, arguing, and outward display of emotions reek of Hollywood talking, not the people who experienced this event. Despite the overly Hollywood feel to the script, the final twenty minutes are compelling and inspiring.

Casting and acting are generally acceptable, except for the presence of Antonio Banderas in the lead role. As happens so often, Hollywood inserts big name actors into lead roles, which accentuates the Hollywood feel of a film, rendering the movie contrived. I would have preferred a lesser known actor.

Background music consists of Spanish songs, which is nice. Color cinematography does a nice job in a low-light environment. Some segments in Act II could have been excised or shortened, as they either slow down the plot or they convey the impression of filler.

The main reason to see this film is because of its real-life premise. The event really happened. How that event was handled by different characters, and the emotions it evoked during a span of many days is what gives the film its potency, a flawed movie script notwithstanding.

Mining is a dangerous business. Going deep underground to dig minerals out of the earth means subjecting yourself to extreme heat, back-breaking work and the inhalation of dust that can lead to the pulmonary disease of silicosis. If none of these kill you slowly, the mine itself can kill you quickly and without warning. Miners die from accidents caused by their equipment, gas leaks and explosions and, of course, sudden collapses of the rock surrounding them. All told, this difficult work kills thousands of miners every year (as many as 12,000 by one count). These facts and statistics are brought to life in the true story of the 2010 Chilean copper-gold mine collapse portrayed in the drama "The 33" (PG-13, 2:07).

The film opens with a retirement party for one miner who is about to complete 45 years of service to the private company that owns and operates the San José mine near Copiapó, Chile. Several of his long-time co-workers are at the party with their families. Their is shift foreman Luis "Don Lucho" Urzúa (Lou Diamond Phillips), experienced miner and natural leader Mario Sepúlveda (Antonio Banderas), father-to-be Álex Vega (Mario Casas) and Elvis Presley-loving miner Edison Peña (Jacob Vargas), among others.

On the morning of August 5, 2010, these men took the long and winding truck ride three miles into the mine, completely unaware that they were about to become victims of one of the worst mining disasters in Chile's history. Luis saw it coming, but the safety concerns that he expressed to the mine's manager went unheeded. That afternoon, a rock the height of the Empire State Building and the width of two of them fell into the mine, trapping 33 men inside. Seeing the devastating cave-in and its effects on the men and their surroundings, it seems like a miracle that none of the 33 died in the initial collapse. Although some would say that the real miracle would be if no one died in mining accidents, or at least if this collapse had occurred during off-duty hours, rather than the miners having to get trapped and suffer, while their families waited in agony for news about the fate of their loved ones.

It was those families who became the impetus for a full-on rescue attempt. Although Chile's President (Bob Gunton) is reluctant to get his government involved with an accident at a privately-owned mine, his new Minister of Mining, Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro) convinces President Piñera to let him go to the site and see what he can do. The families, led by María Segovia (Juliette Binoche), the estranged sister of trapped miner Darío Segovia (Juan Pablo Raba), had gathered outside the locked gates of the mining complex. These siblings, wives, mothers, fathers and friends demanded action, and action they got. In spite of the prevailing opinion that the miners were probably dead or would die long before they could be rescued, Minister Golborne brings in heavy-duty drills and works with renowned mining expert André Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne) to try and reach the miners before it's too late. Meanwhile, the miners ration food and try to keep each other's spirits up, even as several of them fight and suffer from various medical conditions, as hope fades that they will ever see their families again.

"The 33" is exceptional. Based on the book "Deep Down Dark" by Héctor Tobar, the film version takes few liberties with the facts and fashions a very compelling narrative. The screenplay succinctly, but effectively sets the stage and develops its characters – both above and below ground. We feel the desperation of both the miners and their families. As the miners' story unfolds, concurrently with that of their families and those attempting to rescue them, Patricia Riggens directs with great pacing (which is helped by nearly perfect editing). She also gets great performances from her cast and blends the talents and experience of well-known and little-known actors wonderfully. Although the movie did drag a little as it neared its dramatic conclusion, this is a film which tells its story with drama, sensitivity and even some humor and makes it relatable to anyone who ever came to the aid of someone in trouble. "A"

Copiapó, Chile is the home of the copper and gold San José mine. There is one way in and the same way out. Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Phillips) warns the manager about the shifting mountain as mirrors placed at strategic places start cracking. The large cracks precipitate a massive cave-in and 33 miners manage to descend into the refuge. Mario Sepúlveda (Antonio Banderas) tries to be the leader of this chaotic group. They find the refuge poorly stocked, the radio unconnected, and the escape chimney ladder unfinished. The company tries to lock down everyone but some escape to spread the news. The families led by María Segovia (Juliette Binoche), sister of a miner, arrive to confront security. Minister of Mining Laurence Golborne is told by the manager that it's essentially hopeless. The President sends André Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne) to lead the rescue. There is no confirmation of the survivors until the first drill breaks through. The miners would be trapped for 69 days in an international media sensation.

It's a relatively good drama up to the first drill breakthrough. It has a little thrill and even some humor. The international cast is a little weird with some unnecessary white-washing. All of that is fine but the last thirty minutes are anti-climatic. The inevitable rescue has no drama or tension. That last quarter just keeps going and going. The few interesting bits do not add up to a compelling conclusion.

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 of the 1972 Andean plane crash whose survival did partially depend on cannibalism; it also resembles the equally compelling true-life 1995 space saga APOLLO 13. Another aspect well depicted is how transfixed the international media, including every news outlet in the United States, covered this story in a way that, given how tabloid-focused it had become by then, was largely tasteful, though also suitably dramatic.

The whole enterprise is topped off by an appropriate, somber, and Andean-flavored score by James Horner, which turned out to be one of the last film scores he worked on before he perished in a plane crash in Ventura County, California on June 22, 2015. Despite the fairly leisurely pace (some would, mistakenly in my opinion, call it slow), THE 33, like ALIVE and APOLLO 13, is done in the right way, avoiding spectacle most of the time, using CGI only when necessary, and steering clear of sensationalism. As such, it will likely count as one of the best movies of 2015.

I enjoyed watching this true story about 33 Chilean miners trapped in a mine. It was a good story about resilience, the human spirit, and working together. I also loved the Elvis impersonator. Even though I knew they were going to be rescued, the story still kept me on the edge of my seat. The cast worked well together, and everything about this movie was well done. The mine scenes were riveting.

*** out of ****.

Dozens of people from Copiapó, Chile, work at the San José mine. The owner ignores warnings about the fragile stability of the mine, which collapses shortly afterwards. A group of 33 people go down to the mine like every day. But a large landslide leaves them trapped 700 meters deep. Mario Sepúlveda (Antonio Banderas) becomes the leader of the miners, distributing food rations and stopping the outbreaks of violence and desperation. The mining company does not attempt any rescue and the miners' families gather around the gates. Meanwhile, on the surface, families do everything they can to get the government and rescue teams to save them. On the surface, the loved ones of the trapped miners watched over the mine, with María Segovia (Juliette Binoche), older sister of the trapped miner Darío Segovia (Juan Pablo Raba) as the main leader creating a camp of relatives, it was called Esperanza ("Hope"). The families don't know if they were alive or dead, hence the tension. And the Prime Minister (Bob Gunton) was quick to praise where it was deserved. That praise went largely to the relatively new Minister of Mines, Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro), who is firmly determined to rescue them. The chief engineer assigned to drill into the underground refuge area in hopes of saving them is Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne), who admitted that the process is not working. Developing as expected. Then the emergency teams abandoned the search. Discover the miraculous true story!

This interesting film has tension, emotion, great drama and some thought-provoking themes. The story leaves a bitter taste, especially due to the lack of security measures that mining companies do not provide in order to save costs, but it is quite entertaining and extremely enjoyable. Antonio Banderas stars in this drama co-produced and professionally directed by Patricia Riggen. The story is based on real events: 33 miners were trapped underground in a mine in Chile in October 2013, while the government assumed they were dead in the first days, the families set up a camp on the surface to pressure them and not abandon them. In 33 (2015) the days of tension and desolation of the workers led by Mario Sepúlveda, well played by Antonio Banderas, are narrated, doing everything in their power to survive, restricting food and water, as well as their loved ones who do not They stopped fighting to rescue them and do justice. Along with the aforementioned Banderas, he is accompanied by a good international cast full of well-known faces, such as: Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche, James Brolin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Mario Casas, Bob Gunton, Jacob Vargas, Juan Pablo Raba, Marco Treviño, Kate del Castillo and Cote de Pablo who was born in Chile. A statement at the beginning of the film states that 12,000 miners a year die in mining accidents, this corresponds to 33 miners per day. Although the president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, is not treated very well in the film, he received the cast of actors at the government palace in Santiago, Chile.

The film highlights the spectacular as well as sensitive musical score by the great composer James Horner. Final film (by release date) with a soundtrack composed by James Horner, who died less than two months before the film's release, although his final film composition was for Redemption (2015). And professional direction by Patricia Riggen (Alaska Daily, Little America, Jack Ryan, Dopesick, Proven Innocent, Saint X). Rating: 6.5/10.

The real facts are as follows: The workers trapped in the noisy collapse of the San José mine, located in a desert area about 800 kilometers north of the Chilean capital of Santiago, activated the alarms that sunny afternoon of Thursday, August 5, 2010. An entire shift of miners, consisting of 33 workers, was buried about 700 meters deep and at that time, ten years ago, there was no indication that they were alive or dead. Only the hope of those who live and work in the mines of northern Chile, who when there are accidents of this type they undertake a rapid race for the lives of those buried. A decade later, the 33 miners feel abandoned and several of them, with their lives broken. Hope, for them, disappeared. All the first attempts to access through the mine mouth were frustrated by the enormous rocks that blocked the shaft, while the buried miners also abandoned their first attempts to exit through an emergency tunnel that was missing stairs because the owners of the mine They never installed them. From the first days, the workers' wives began to arrive, settling in a camp that housed three thousand people, which as the weeks went by included entire families, merchants, journalists and rescuers. That was enormous pressure on the government - then in charge of Sebastián Piñera's first term - to not abandon the search and commit increasing resources to the search and rescue.

Maybe it's because I'm chilean and I watched the rescue as it happened, but this movie does not make it justice.

It never conveys just how emotional the event really was.

Even then, it's still a very messy film. It's rushed, unfocused and the tone is all over the place.

It hits all the beats of an emotional biopic, but there's no heart behind it.

Antonio Banderas is really good though.

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

"The 33" is a more satisfying film than I was initially expecting, largely because, especially in the wake of this tragic weekend that saw chaos in multiple different countries and countless causalities and injuries all over the world, it's a film that really emphasizes some element of human bonding in the wake of a tragedy. Granted, the characters in this film are pretty thin and bound together only by seriously unfortunate circumstances, but that doesn't entirely matter. The film focuses on their bonding and their acts of cooperation in a time when survival seems astronomically unlikely.

"The 33" looks at a variety of angles revolving around the collapse of a mine in Chile in 2010, which left thirty-three miners trapped until complex drilling equipment could be acquired in order to determine if they were even still alive. Most presumed the miners would've been killed when the heart of the mountain collapsed or would starve to death before help even began to reach them. When the drilling commenced, and discovered that all the men in the mining crew were alive and surviving off of the mine's limited supply of food and water in the refuge, trying to build a system that could extract the miners was going to take more time and effort on part of the Chilean government. The miners were trapped for sixty-nine days before being rescued.

Patricia Riggen's film attempts to focus on the miners trapped underneath hundreds of tons of rubble, more than 2,000 feet underground, and the families above ground, gathering around the gates of the mine. The families are immediately disgusted with the government's lackadaisical and stunted response for rescue efforts, with government officials doing what they do best - claiming they care and are doing everything in their power to remedy a situation when they are doing nothing of any significance and making no attempt to reassure or comfort the families of the affected.

To get the problems of "The 33" out of the way, to begin with, the film still continues the trend of capturing much of its events in montage, the same trend we've seen assist films like "The Martian" and "Pawn Sacrifice" this year with telling their large stories in a truncated manner. This film doesn't encapsulate as much of its events in montage as those films, but it still does enough fast-forwarding to the point where we don't really get to know the titular thirty-three outside of buzzwords and blanket traits, like the leader is nicknamed "Super Mario" (Antonio Banderas) and there is one miner who is Bolivian that nobody seems to care for. With that, the montage effect is something that is used in films for an understandable reason, but overusing it results in a film that is made up of moments of greatness rather than a big-picture sense of greatness.

Probably the most glaring concern with "The 33" is the choice to make the thirty-three Chilean miners English-speakers, undoubtedly a move by touchy studio executives who feared American audiences wouldn't want to sit through a two hour film and read subtitles (unfortunately, in many cases, they're probably correct). While it's not a glaring issue, it's a bit strange to see the family members, all of whom minor characters in the film, speak equal amounts of Spanish and English when their husbands, brothers, and boyfriends are largely English-speakers in a country where Spanish is the dominant language.

But what "The 33" manages to get right is its human focus - a focus placed on acts of survival and cooperation, even when the miners become overnight celebrities. One particularly interesting angle is when the film's screenwriters - Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten, and Michael Thomas - show Mario's decision to accept a book deal on the incident for a large sum of money whilst still trapped in the mine. In addition, we see coffee mugs, t-shirts, and posters being sold that advertise the thirty-three survivors outside of the mine itself. These are the fine details that make "The 33," a film that despite its miraculous true story sometimes feels like a cliché Hollywood parable on courage and keeping faith, a miner winner.

Overall, I think the movie is worth watching since it's an amazing story. But the "Hollywood" factor is a little too much "Hollywood". I understand that Antonio Banderas is not ex-president Sebastian Piñera's biggest fan, as they are publicly from different political sides. And I understand that it's a movie and that Piñera is just a character, not real-life Piñera, and that they wanted a cold president, whose biggest concern was the implications that meant for chile's international image if the miners were not rescued. After all, it's Hollywood. But the real story is better. I just wish that they had sticked to it.

The whole intelligence that was involved in the rescue of the miners is not really shown in the movie. Throughout the movie, Golborne is portrayed as the big man. He was very important, but in the real story is much more impressive, worth telling and honestly realistic. Piñera, who is know for being a brilliant man, had a lot more to do with it, he acted fast as asked for help from other countries as soon as he heard the news because he remembered a story of a Russian submarine that had failed under the ocean and the whole crew died because they were not rescued at time. That was all over the news at the time and we all thought he was crazy, not way they could find the miners alive. The engineers and Piñera were the brains behind the operation, and that story I believe is not that well represented in the movie, and is so interesting. How these people managed to do it, something that was impossible. I'm proud to be Chilean and the quality of the engineers we have here. I mean, we just had a 8.4 earthquake and there was very little damage. The earthquake was intense, so intense, I lived it, but the real reason why little damage happened is because of our engineers, and how they have designed our houses, buildings, urban structure, everything, in order to survive earthquakes. In 2010, during an 8.8 earthquake there were many deaths, but the main reason that happened was because people were not evacuated at time and a huge tsunami took many lives.

I might sound like a Piñera fan- i'm not, I just acknowledge his work. I'm not a political person, but I follow the news in my country. The newspapers that are pro- government, and the other ones too. I'm not really biased. So, another thing that I thing should have been in the movie is how the first lady, Cecilia Morel, acted and what a huge support she was for the families and in the camp. She has always been perceived as the most lovely and caring person, even from people that deeply dislike his husband. She was very important for the families. The day her father died, they found the miners. And minutes before he died, he told Piñera that the miners were alive and that he should go back to Copiapó and help them. So, he went to Copiapó when his father-in-law died, the day they found the miners. That was impressive and unique, the real story. Piñera and his wife were at the camp almost the whole time.

There is a lot of interesting elements that were left out in the movie. A lot of intelligence and unique things that happened. The story itself is so impressive and unbelievable that they didn't need had to change it. And, as I said before, showing the intelligence and how fast they acted would make the movie more realistic, too.

This is going to be a "mine"or review of the movie based on the true story of the Chilean miners who were in 2010 trapped underground for 69 days after a gold & copper mine collapsed, it's called "The 33". And I will insert 33 puns in it! Sorry, that was coal! I mean cold! Director Patricia Riggen did not rig it and did a modest job in paying tribute to the bravery & resiliency of the 33 miners. However, the film's screenplay was filled with many formulaic clichés that did not provide enough authenticity to the characters. The mining crew included performances from Antonio Banderas, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Jacob Vargas. An awful and miscast Juliette Binoche played the sister of one of the miners, and Riggen showcased her character way too much than it deserved; with all due respect to the family members of the miners. Rodrigo Santoro played the archetype government employee who rebels against government protocol in order to save the day; or something like that. Now, don't get me wrong, I did think the homage to the 33 miners was well played out, but I was not grounded with the film's other components. The movie is also way too long; it should have been trimmed 33 minutes. Anyways, coal it what you want, but I think "The 33" is OK to see for its bravery. *** Average

"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-.

Even though you know that they all get out okay, this was still a nail biter, and as you watch while the days pass, you feel such sympathy for the men who lived through this terrible ordeal. The critics were nuts--this is a good movie, very well done! I remember this story so well and how sorry I felt for those men living through this waking nightmare situation. Thank God that they all got out alive!

Disaster strikes on Aug. 5, 2010, as a copper and gold mine collapses in Chile, trapping 33 men underground. With more than 2,000 feet of rock in their way, members of a rescue team work tirelessly for 69 days to save the seemingly doomed crew. Beneath the rubble, the miners begin an epic quest to survive, contending with suffocating heat and the need for food and water. With family, friends and the rest of the world watching, it becomes a race against time and a true test of the human spirit.

So you may or may not be aware of the story of the Chilean miners. I wasn't completely aware so I thought I'd give this film a look. What helped was that it had Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Philips in it. Of course they played some of the miners Mario Sepúlveda and Don Lucho respectively. Since the film is called "The 33" and is about 33 miners, there are 33 miners and since it would be hard to focus on all of them, they only focused on a few of them (I don't remember any of the other characters' names because I was focused on Antonio Banderas and Lou Diamond Philips). This was probably for the best as I didn't really care about the other miners' stories. To be fair, these stories include: one about to retire, one who is an Elvis impersonator, one who has a drinking problem, one who is a Bolivian and has a hard time fitting in, one who is having an affair, and one who is having problems with their sister (at least those are the ones I can remember). The film is not just about the people down below, however, as it follows the drama involved in the rescue above and the miners' families patiently (mostly) waiting for their safe return. This contingent consisted mostly of Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro), a government official, and Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne), a mining expert called in to assist with the rescue. I found that the miners' families were not well represented here with the most vocal of them being one of the miners' sister Maria Segovia (Juliette Binoche). I thought Binoche was good here with what little she had. I found that pretty much everyone we got to see up above was okay in their respective roles despite me not caring as much about the whole government angle which also included Chilean President Piñera (Bob Gunton). The acting from the miners down below was okay for the most part but I found Banderas' performance to be a little over-the-top. Sure this is supposed to be an inspirational story but I found his cheesy inspirational/motivational lines to be a little off-putting. The special effects involved were well done as the initial cave collapse looked realistic and created the only real emotional moment in a film that is supposed to be an emotional film. The look on the miners' faces when the cave collapsed was real and you could see them feel trapped. This was emotional and I don't think anything else after that was as the film is just a bunch of guys stuck in a cave with nothing to do. I will say that this film does take a little getting used to because the scenes within the cave are very dark and it is sometimes hard to tell the miners apart. Also the story just seemed a little lazy to me as it never really explained how the miners were saved, the story took a few convenient turns, and it used a little too much news footage to explain what was happening. Overall, this is just an average drama with a little emotion and inspiration.

Score: 6/10 keithlovesmovies.com