Thirteen Lives (2022)
Directed by Ron Howard
Based on the true nail-biting mission that captivated the world. Twelve boys and the coach of a Thai soccer team explore the Tham Luang cave when an unexpected rainstorm traps them in a chamber inside the mountain. Entombed behind a maze of flooded cave tunnels, they face impossible odds. A team of world-class divers navigate through miles of dangerous cave networks to discover that finding the boys is only the beginning.
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3 films that influenced Thirteen Lives
What critics say influenced Thirteen Lives
Although Howard has directed some big, brash Hollywood flicks in the past, such as 1991’s Backdraft, he shows a lot of class and maturity in not turning this into another blockbusting disaster flick.
Back in the ’90s, Howard brought us such white-knuckle spectacles as “Backdraft” and “Apollo 13.”
But his latest directorial effort in Thirteen Lives proves that Howard still has what it takes to make a solid movie based on a true story, which is easily his best one since Rush in 2013.
It helps of course that Ron Howard has already proved to be very adroit in convincingly bringing real-life dramas to the screen (1995’s Apollo 13 and the Formula One racing drama Rush made in 2017 stand as examples).
While “Thirteen Lives” doesn’t provide the constant adrenaline rush of “The Rescue,” it is easily Howard’s best film since 2011’s “Rush.”
We saw it with Rush, but also with his recent involvement in documentaries like Feeding the World.
Films like “Apollo 13,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “Rush” demonstrate that Howard knows how to set up and concoct a well-constructed drama.
In presenting what could be described as an action-thriller, Howard manages to mimic the success he had with previous films like Apollo 13 and Rush , both also based on true stories.
Director of Photography Sayombhu Mukdeeprom ("Call Me by Your Name") and underwater DP Simon Christidis give us every perspective, from the distant profile of the mountain known as a sleeping princess to approaching underwater stalactites like swimming into a toothy maw.
To navigate the logistical challenges of shooting in such an environment, much of it underground and/or underwater, Howard teamed with cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom (the Thai DP responsible for the mysterious, low-light look of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee,” as well as the sunny, seductive warmth of “Call Me by Your Name”).