The 33

     The 33 Staring Antonio Banderas, was a surprising little gem for me.  I remember the news covering this miracle, but didn't remember all of the details.

     In 2010, a boulder with twice the mass of the Empire States Building shifts and causes a collapse in the Copiapó mine, trapping 33 men 2,300 feet underground.  The men have 3 days worth of food and water, but, as the movie ominously foreshadows as the new guy enters the mine for the first time, "There's only one way in and one way out... and it took them 100 years to dig that far."

     I don't know if there can be spoilers for a film which is based on real events, but all 33 men make it out alive.  Patricia Reggin (The Director) handled this beautifully by focusing on the human aspect, instead of making up false "close calls" like most directors do with based on true events stories.  The men were trapped for 69 days.  It took them seventeen days just to drill holes to the sanctuary, but that was just the beginning because then they had to drill a hole big enough to extract a person.  Once the initial holes were drilled, food was transported into the small sanctuary to keep the 33 alive until they could extract them.  The movie focuses on the volatile social structure of 33 men being cramped in a space barely big enough to contain them, with little food and water, and tempers running high.

     The comic relief was great.  Oscar Nuñez plays Yanni Barrios who has a wife and a mistress.  I know, I know, nowadays that's no big deal, what made it funny in this movie was that the two lived across the street from each other and compete for his affections.  It's a running gag through the movie, and provides great comic relief.

     The story is steady paced, and not over the top, so it keeps you entertained without making you question the validity of the based on real events claim.

     In all I'd give this movie