How do you possibly capture the incredible wonder of true heroism?
We have seen plenty of films that tell stories of heroes especially today with the state of cinema centered around superhero films. But there are real-life heroes that we can connect to. These superheroes are not real but firefighters, soldiers, and your average person who saves peoples’ lives are real. Many dramatic films have been made over the years to tell such stories of true-life heroism. But do they always do justice to the people that they are highlighting? That is tough to say. Sometimes those stories are not cinematic and then screenwriters try to jazz them up which might undermine the true story. But documentaries can truly capture the truth in an earnest way.
Is Ron Howard able to do justice for this heroic tale of cave divers saving the lives of children trapped in a cave in Thailand?
National Geographic has already told this story. The Rescue is an exciting and thrilling documentary that feels more like a thriller than your standard documentary affair. That film really set the bar for this story to be sold on screen. That is what makes Howard’s job that much harder. When you must compete with a film that is already great, you have pressure on your shoulders. But luckily for the audience, Howard does his job and delivers a high-quality film.
How does Howard bring to life this incredible feat of heroism?
First off, he does some of his best directing in a long time. Thirteen Lives channels the impressive directing that Howard brought to another real human survival film Apollo 13. There is a strong handle on the shots and the performances from all.
Howard might not be the most dynamic of directors but what he does excel at is efficiently bringing a story to life. He would get respect from James Cameron for how great the underwater footage looks in this drama.
One of the biggest keys to the success of this film is the underwater shots.
Those of the thrilling moments that will draw the audience in for this two-and-a-half-hour film. The work he did in Rush shows that he can do action and this film might not be just that but that same eye shows up here.
Can Thirteen Lives deliver on the emotional end of things as well?
There is certainly more of a subdued and humanistic approach to the film in terms of how the characters interact. But there are moments of genuine emotion that draws the audience in as well. You can feel the fear and concern of the families at the beginning of the film when they find out their children are now submerged in the caves. We can feel the emotion in the room when some team doesn’t make it back alive. You can tell there are feelings of nervousness and panic on the surface that crack through for some of the divers who come in to make the save. But one moment in the end when one of the divers just shatters makes the emotional impact delivered.
With such a talented group of actors, can Howard draw out the needed drama from them?
Viggo Mortensen is quite the lead in the film as he is a strong-minded and confident man. He only goes in when he knows it is going to work out. Mortensen gets to show off some of his timing with biting comments as well as some strength in his convictions when he must confront the human roadblocks in the way. Colin Farrell is much more subdued in his role compared to his bigger and bolder personality usually seen on screen. Joel Edgerton gets to show some vulnerability and shaken confidence as many people put this crazy plan on his shoulders. Tom Bateman is the one who gets to show off some big emotions and shed some tears. But they are all big named actors. The rest of the supporting cast who portray the people of Thailand are also quite impressive.
Does Howard do justice to this harrowing true story?
Thirteen Lives doesn’t quite reach the heights of The Rescue, but it earns its place.
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There are moments that are a tad unbelievable (which were added for the dramatic effect) and it might be a big draw out but this is still a high-quality picture worth your time.
