What’s it rated? PG-13
When? 2022
Where’s it showing? Amazon Prime
Ron Howard directs this true-life drama about a dozen young Thai soccer players and their coach who become trapped in a cave after a monsoon arrives unseasonably early. It was international news when it occurred in 2018 in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave, a popular attraction that’s considered safe during the dry season.
Though I remember the story, I didn’t follow it closely, and if you’re the same, I won’t spoil how it unfolds—but suffice it to say, Howard does a masterful job directing this taut thriller that seemed to fly by despite its nearly 2 1/2 hour run time. I had no idea the lengths required to try to rescue these kids. Some of the first divers to go in expected to find bodies, not live children.
Much of the story centers on British cave rescue divers Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Colin Farrell), who were initially dismissed as amateurs by the Thai SEAL Team that initially entered the cave in search of the boys. Between the authorities in charge, the kids’ parents, the surrounding villagers, and the volunteers, there are deep mines of emotion to explore, and Howard spelunks every crevice. (147 min.)
This article appears in Aug 18-28, 2022.