The 33

Director: Patricia Riggen/Starring: Antonio Banderas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Juliette Binoche, Kate de Castillo, Gabriel Byrne, Rodrigo Santoro and James Brolin

The 2010 Copiapo Mining Accident in Chile's Atacama Desert, where 33 miners were trapped for 69 days underground, riveted the world and became a headline mainstay. A concerted effort by engineers and mining personnel from around the world made a difficult rescue possible. Malnourished and weak, the men were supplied--by way of drilling--with food, water, clothes and electronic devices to enable the miners to maintain contact with their rescuers and loved ones. The miner's struggle to stay alive in a dangerous environment and the rescue effort that followed soon after, were made possible through ingenuity and the human spirit. A film version of such an incredible story deserves a powerful telling but though director Patricia Riggen's The 33 dramatizes the accident and the rescue, it fails--in spite of its well-meaning efforts--to capture the suspense and danger of the miner's seemingly hopeless struggle underground and the desperate attempt to rescue them above ground.

Like the real-life multinational effort that made the rescue possible, the film-makers have called upon an international cast that includes Juliette Binoche, Antonio Banderas, Kate de Castillo, Rodrigo Santoro and Gabriel Byrne to portray Chileans, with mixed results. Though it's hardly a stretch for Castillo, Banderas and Santoro to sound Chilean, the accent proves unwieldy for Byrne and Binoche, whose best efforts come to naught.

The mine caves in after the 33 miners begin what seems like a typical day below ground. Among the crew is a Bolivian, whose shabby treatment becomes an issue later. We get background on some of the miners. One miner's love-life is shambles as his mistress and his wife vie for his attentions. Another fights alcoholism while yet another is only days from retirement.

After the mine collapse, which is caused by a slab of rock twice the mass of the Empire State Building, the way in and out of the mine is obstructed; leaving them cut-off from the surface. The foreman assigned to oversee miner safety; Don Lucho (Lou Diamond Phillips) becomes consumed by guilt; believing he has failed in his job. Though Lucho's position as foreman gives him authority in the mine; a miner named Mario Sepulveda (Antonio Banderas) becomes de facto leader. It is Sepulveda's stubborn optimism that lifts the miner's spirits and their gloomy mood as they face further disasters and almost certain death.

After Sepulveda and another miner discover the ladders leading to the surface were never completed, the other miners prepare for a protracted stay; many believing a rescue will never come.
The miners also begin to think pragmatically as they begin rationing 3-day food supplies.

Above ground, the Minister of Mining; Laurence Golborne (Rodrigo Santoro); petitions Chilean President Pinera (Bob Gunton) for help, reminding him of the government's duty to intervene. Pinera commits government resources to helping the miners, with Golborne directing the effort.

Meanwhile, the miner's wives and girlfriends become a sustained presence at the mines; demanding information about their loved ones and forcefully resisting the mine company's attempts to disperse them. Leading the familial gathering is Maria Segovia (Juliette Binoche), who, like the others, waits impatiently for any news regarding the miners.

Unsure of the miner's fates, Golborne learns a common area in the mines which serves as a living space may be the area where the survivors congregate. Deterred by the slab of stone blocking the entrance, attempts are made to drill down to the miners to provide life-preserving supplies. As days drag into weeks, the rescue attempt draws the attention of the world media; which in turn attracts outside support. A drawn-out rescue operation makes it necessary to summon a state mining engineer named Andre Sougarret (Gabriel Byrne) to assume leadership in the operation. In time, drilling makes it possible to provide much-needed supplies to the men below.

How the miners cope with their predicament provides much of the drama in the film. As one might expect, bickering and petty factionalism take hold briefly before the miners unite in common cause. We see their supplies dwindle to almost nothing as meal portions become minuscule. Fighting despair but losing hope for a rescue, the supplies temporarily lift sagging morale and make it possible for the miners to maintain video contact with the leaders of the rescue. More importantly, the families are able to converse with their wives and children, which boosts spirits all around.

But though life-sustaining supplies bring relief, the problem of actually bringing the miners to the surface creates another problem. Attempts to employ massive drills to create a shaft into the rock are initially unsuccessful as a massive drill bit is shattered. The metallic fragments make a large magnet necessary, which in turn means summoning the necessary implement from Brazil. Sougarret and Golborne realize that every delay means one more day the miners' lives are endangered by the shifting rock in the mine, which also complicates rescue efforts.

As we see news programs from around the world broadcasting the rescue effort, one month underground becomes two. In spite of their dire situation, we see the miners gradually form an unbreakable bond.

After Sougarret and the Chilean government nearly give up the miners for dead, Golborne's determination to rescue the miners reverses what almost becomes full capitulation by all parties involved. With renewed resolve, another attempt is made with the help of an American engineer named Jeff Hart (James Brolin).

As previously mentioned, the accident and subsequent rescue were hardly wanting for suspense, drama and heart-breaking and heart-warming sentiment. But somehow the film only stirs interest rather than giving us a visceral experience. It is competently dramatized but it never leaves us breathless with suspense. Part of the problem may be we know the outcome before hand but the film itself never does much to make the audience forget it knows.

As also previously mentioned, it was difficult to overlook the various accents, particularly Binoche's. Though I highly esteem her as an actress, even she can't overcome a hokey, Chilean accent. She deserves better. Vaudeville accents are the domain of lesser actresses, like Meryl Streep; not French film stars with boundless talent.

I wanted to like the film more but a whiff of Disney seeped into the story. The real-life events ended happily (thank goodness) but the ordeal must have been hell for many involved. It's that hellish aspect that's lacking in The 33. What we're left with is something pretty decent but who pays multiplex prices to see something decent?

What this movie needs is a small screen to make its tepid, emotional output seem gargantuan, which is how I recommend one see the film.

The important thing is the miners survived, with their health intact. A so-so movie about their ordeal is less important in the grand scheme.