We have picked a gripping but highly underrated biographical survival film for you in case you weren’t sure about ‘what to watch’ this weekend. This one comes from the iconic filmography of veteran Hollywood filmmaker Ron Howard. We are talking about Prime Video’s Thirteen Lives (2022), starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, and Tom Bateman.
‘Thirteen Lives’ is based on the harrowing real-life incident of the Tham Luang cave rescue, which occurred in 2018. A group of young boys and their football coach, Ekkaphon Chanthawong, got trapped inside the cave due to flooding. It became impossible for those boys and their coach to escape from that cave. But thanks to professional cave divers Richard Stanton (Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Farrel) from the British Cave Rescue Council for extracting those boys and their coach. Supporting cave divers like Richard Harris (Edgerton), Chris Jewell (Bateman), and many more notable figures also played a crucial role in the successful execution of this mission.
The film is a thrilling ride and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Also, the performances and Howard’s steady direction make this one a must-watch. Yes, it may not be the most accurate portrayal of the unfortunate incident. Still, it serves as a gripping dramatisation.
Howard’s filmography overall looks incredible despite consisting of some ‘not-so-good’ films. The director has helmed blockbusters like Backdraft, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and many more. After fumbling with Hillybilly Elegy (2020), starring Amy Adams and Glenn Close, the director returned with a banger in the form of ‘Thirteen Lives’. His upcoming project, The Shrinking of Treehorn, will be an animated project, slated for a future Netflix release.
Thirteen Lives is available on Amazon Prime Video. What are you waiting for? Go and watch it now! Stay tuned for more updates.