By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
Director and producer
Ron Howard ("Hillbilly Elegy") strikes gold again, this time with the biographical survival drama,
"Thirteen Lives" which begins streaming on
Prime Video Aug. 5.
"Thirteen Lives" chronicles the harrowing and daring 2018 rescue mission of the 12 member Thailand soccer team and their assistant coach who became trapped in the Tham Luang cave in Northern Thailand. The teen boys were eager to explore the cave but had no idea a horrific monsoon was on the horizon, and it would quickly place them in peril.
The entire world was captivated with this story and hoping that things would turn out well. Fortunately, they did. However, the film's screenwriters, William Nicolson ("Breathe") and Don MacPherson ("The Gunman") don't overstate the drama, yet the suspense and intensity of the rescue with the tight, dark, underwater shots is palpable. That these young boys somehow found the will to survive under such incredibly challenging circumstances is truly remarkable.
"Thirteen Lives" also spotlights the heroic efforts of the team of expert American medical professionals and British cave divers played wonderfully here by Colin Farrell ("The Batman"), Viggo Mortensen ("Crimes of the Future") and Joel Edgerton (TV's "Obi Wan-Kenobi") who team with the Royal Thai Navy Seals and thousands of volunteers, for the dangerous mission.
What also makes "Thirteen Lives" special is that Howard captures the human spirit so well. So many people from all walks of life came together to help the families and lend support in many ways.
The movie does have some tough, bloody moments, but they merely add to its authenticity. "Thirteen Lives" is a masterful film from Ron Howard that is both daunting and inspirational.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays at 6:20 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"THIRTEEN LIVES"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
