The 33

The 33

Rating 8 out of 10

I thought this movie looked pretty good when I saw the trailers.  I was surprised to see it was not getting very good reviews. On Rottentomeatoes.com it only rates a 42%.  Although the audience score is pushing 70%.  After skimming over several of the bad reviews I saw most of the complains were on things like the movie using a white actor in a hispanic role or someone's accent not being perfect.  I decided to give it a try with the Hottie and my daughter and her husband.  Even brought the three year old granddaughter hoping it kept her attention.

Anyone that even casually watches the new should remember back in 2010 when a mine in Chile collapsed and trapped 33 miners more than 2000 feet below ground.  It was crazy.  They were so far underground it took the truck driving them down to the mining area more than an hour to get them to the bottom.  The 33 miners were pushed into a "safe room" not much bigger than a school room with only 3 days of food and water.  They knew right off their situation was grave as it took more than 100 years of digging to get the hole that deep.  There were a couple possible escape routes but one was never finished and the other caved in too.

The movie then shifts to above and below ground.  How the miners manage to not give up when they are starving and can't imagine how anyone can get to them.  Antonio Banderas gives his best performance ever as Mario who refuses to give up.  Lou Diamond Phillips is also great as the supervisor that knew in his gut the mine was getting dangerous.  Above ground the mine owners and then the Chile government have to decide whether it's worth sinking million$ into a recovery when chances are very slim they are still alive and even if they are how could they possibly get them out. Once it becomes a world wide story they really have no choice but to go all out in the recovery.

My daughter cried thru the whole movie.  That doesn't really count since she is pregnant and cries at Publix commercials these days.  The hottie cried at the end and I have to admit my eyes watered a little.

I really enjoyed this movie.  Thought the acting was good and with a two hour run time it seemed just long enough.  It made me go right home and dig out wikipedia to find out more about the story.