The 33 (2015)

• Year: 2015
• Released: 13 Nov 2015
• Country: Chile, Colombia, Spain, United States
• Adwords: 8 wins & 7 nominations
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2006295/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_33
• Metacritics: https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-33
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: English, Spanish
• MPA Rating: PG-13
• Genre: Biography, Drama, History
• Runtime: 127 min
• Writer: Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten, Michael Thomas
• Director: Patricia Riggen
• Cast: Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche
• Keywords: woman director, based on true story, based on a true story, survival, chile,

	6.8/10
	55/100
	48% – Critics
	59% – Audience

The 33 Storyline

A docudramatic account of the 2010 Chilean mine disaster is presented, where the thirty-three miners who went into the San José Mine in Copiapó, Chile in the middle of the Atacama Desert on August 5 were trapped 700 meters underground for sixty-nine days, with all thirty-three eventually able to make it out of the mine alive. That day, mine foreman, Luis “Don Lucho” Urzúa, reported his concerns to mine owner, Carlos Castillo, about the unstable nature of the mountain under which the mine is located, those concerns which went unheeded. Don Lucho one of the thirty-three, went to work as usual into the mine, when that instability led to collapse in some of the underground shafts, the thirty-three who were able to make it to the refuge area, however with communication channels to the surface inoperable. Under normal circumstances, the refuge area had enough supplies to last thirty men three days. The miners also discovered that the company had failed to place the requisite ladders from the refuge area to the surface, and that the primary route out was now blocked by a shifted rock, its mass the equivalent of the Empire State Building. The thirty-three were ultimately led by Mario Sepúlveda, who was not going to let any of the thirty-three take priority over any of the others, especially in the initial panic and instinct for self-survival among some. On the surface, loved ones of the trapped miners held vigil at the mine, with María Segovia, elder sister of trapped miner Dario Segovia, arguably the most outspoken in condemnation of the powers that be not doing anything to search for the miners, not knowing if they were dead or alive, but who was also quick to give praise where praise was due. That praise largely went to the relatively new Minister of Mines, Laurence Golborne, who was determined both to do whatever he could on behalf of the government to look for the men and to provide accurate assessments to those holding vigil of the situation, especially in Castillo seeing miner deaths solely as an unfortunate nature of the business. The chief engineer assigned to drill toward the refuge area in the hopes that the miners were there was Andre Sougarret, who admitted that the process was not a scientific one as one would have hoped. Once the miners were discovered alive in the refuge area, the next phase of trying to extract them held its own new challenges for all concerned, both logistical and emotional.

The 33 Play trailer

The 33 Photos

The 33 Torrents Download

The 33 Subtitles Download

The 33 Movie Reviews

The World Watched

Chile during the last century was not a happy place with the overthrow of Allende and the dictatorship of Pinochet. The stories didn’t make that country have a good world image. But in a strange cosmic sense Chile rehabilitated itself with this story of the rescue of The 33 miners trapped half a mile below the surface.

Chile’s chief exports to the world are copper and nitrates found in the Atacama desert, one of the most forbidding places on the planet. It is said by geologists that there are some spots that have never seen a drop of rain for hundreds of years. This is where the miners work and where the story takes place.

Antonio Banderas usually seen dressed to the nines in film breaks stereotype somewhat as the charismatic leader of the trapped 33 miners. You’d better have charisma if you want to keep 33 men from tearing each other apart for 16 days. The main focus of the film is the interaction of the trapped miners.

On the surface Juliet Binoche also through charisma and chutzpah becomes leader of the families. Not a woman to be trifled with or shuffled off as the government and the mine owners learn. Also to be noted is Lou Diamond Phillips as the mine foreman who tries to tell the management what a dangerous place they have to work in.

You’ll like the rescue scenes as all kinds of methods are tried to reach the men. All in all The 33 is a fine bit of cinema.

Workable true story retelling

THE 33 is a workable Chilean drama about the real-life disaster and rescue tale of the famous 33 miners who spent months trapped below ground after a cave-in. The recent story will be familiar to all of us who follow world news, which robs this tale of some of the suspense, but otherwise it’s quite an efficient film. I don’t think it will ever be a favourite, because not much actually happens after the initial disaster. A lot of time is spent on building conflict with the group, but generally everybody got on and nobody went crazy. I could have done without all of the sentiment and the family relationship material which only serves to slow things down quite considerably. Still, a decent cast has been assembled here, including Antonio Banderas, James Brolin, Bob Gunton, and Lou Diamond Phillips, so it’s worth a look.

good but goes on too long

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.