Pros: Finally Ron Howard returns to form with this thriller based on actual events. The whole world was watching as divers and Navy Seals rescued those boys and their coach, trapped deep inside a cave, water surrounding them, and I remember the story and how relieved the journalists were when they were finally able to report the happy news and this film details (more or less) the true story behind the rescue and the controversial method used to extract the boys. The acting was solid, a truly ensemble piece and the sheer amount of extras make you feel like you were biting your nails in anticipation though fortunately, the ending is largely a happy one, though a Seal did die en route to deliver the supplies when his tank gets caught on the guide cord and another months afterward, from a nasty blood infection, but the boys survived. The setting was also brilliant and this film managed to do something truly difficult. It got me to feel and that is no small feat.
Cons: Honestly, not really anything major though I wish they would have showed more of the boys in the cave rather than just the rescue efforts as it must have been terrifying for them but yet they never appeared to give up hope and they probably should have focused on more parents.
Recommend: Yes
Grade: A-
Side Notes:
-Finally an American other than Meryl Streep can adopt a good British accent: Viggo Mortensen.
-Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton are the other headliners for this film.
-Though all three are expert divers, all three have day jobs: Rick (Mortensen) is a firefighter who doesn't even like kids, John (Farrell) is a divorced IT guy and Harry (Edgerton) is a doctor, specializing in anesthesia.
-Three of boys and the coach were not Thai citizens though after this ordeal, they were granted citizenship.
-Some farmers accepted water being diverted which subsequently ruined their crops just so the boys would have a better chance of survival. Imagine people sacrificing their livelihoods for the good of others, what a foreign concept. It was later mentioned that they did receive government compensation.
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