It’s rare to find a real-life story that’s well-suited to be made into a motion picture, let alone multiple, but the Tham Luang cave rescue of 2018 is no ordinary story. Already brought to the screen in documentary and fictional form, Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives is actually the second feature film on the subject to be released. While its marketing focused on its superstar leads, Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell, the movie is actually an all-encompassing look at the rescue, giving credit to as many disparate individuals as it can. This unified, humanistic approach caught me a little off guard, but in a good way. In a day and age that sees people increasingly divided and movies consistently synthetic, it was refreshing to watch something that reminded me that humanity is worthwhile, and that films should inspire.

In late-June 2018, twelve teenage soccer players and their coach became trapped in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand, after rapid flooding. When their parents realized what had transpired, they called for help. And it was help they received, in the form of Thai Navy SEALS, farmers, city-dwellers, and emergency services. After that, aid from abroad was called in, and this was when Rick Stanton (Viggo Mortensen) and John Volanthen (Colin Farrell) bolstered the efforts. Experts in cave diving rescues, Rick and John became the first to locate the unexpectedly alive boys deep into the cave, well over a week after the floods began. Realizing the near impossibility of saving anyone that deep in the tunnels (over two miles), Rick and John conjured up a plan that they knew was risky, but also perhaps the best remaining option to avoid a complete and utter tragedy.

Thirteen Lives began as I expected, showing how the twelve boys and their coach entered the Tham Luang cave right as monsoon rains started crashing down. Surprisingly, the story didn’t cut to our recognizable movie stars at that point, opting to focus on the initial efforts by the Thai parents and officials instead. While I’m sure those who dislike subtitles will be displeased, I found this section of the story to be rather moving. It was stirring to witness how quickly the Thai community became galvanized by this incident, and all of the Thai actors nail the balance of determination and desperation in these scenes. I was also immediately engrossed by Narongsak Osatanakorn (Sahajak Boonthanakit), the provincial governor tasked with managing this calamity right when he was supposed to leave office, as Thai officials expect they’ll need a scapegoat. Boonthanakit brings a Ken Watanabe-esque screen presence to his scenes, of which I wish there were more.

However, it’s not too long before Rick and John arrive at the cave and begin prepping their dive. Mortensen and Farrell play off each other beautifully here, exhibiting the kind of screen chemistry you’d expect from actors with their experience. Mortensen’s Rick Stanton is crafty and resolute, but he’s also, for lack of a better word, a prick. In contrast, Farrell’s John Volanthen is selfless and thoughtful, meaning it falls to him to reign Rick in when he’s feeling ornery or selfish. Watching these two actors play off each other was sheer joy for me, with neither of them overshadowing the other. Later on, anesthetist Richard “Harry” Harris (Joel Edgerton) is flown in to help. Edgerton is excellent in the short time he’s on screen, slotting in seamlessly alongside Mortensen and Farrell. These three actors formed a captivating trio that I ended up wanting to see a lot more of.*

Too little time with its characters is the primary flaw of Thirteen Lives, as no one character is given enough material to actually have an arc or dimension. Obviously, actors like Viggo and Farrell are more than capable of exhibiting nuance, and they try to with what they’re given here. But at the end of the day, we mainly see them dive, squabble a bit, and then dive some more. This same lack of dimension applies to the Thai actors as well, who similarly try their hardest to scrape whatever subtlety they can from their lines. I can’t help but wonder if this was by design, in order to prevent certain actors, presumably the leads, from stealing the show. After all, the Tham Luang cave rescue was not a “white savior” tale, despite it sometimes being told that way. With that in mind, I can understand why screenwriter William Nicholson chose to avoid always keeping the spotlight on his white main characters.

On the flip side, casting a wider storytelling net means that Thirteen Lives covers a lot of ground in its 140-minute running time (150 with credits). As the narrative jumps from one group of people to the next, you really come to realize how many individuals from different parts of Thailand and the world paused their lives in order contribute however they could. This broadness wouldn’t have been possible had Howard and Nicholson opted for a more traditional, less documentarian approach. Of all of the side stories, my favorite was the one covering the efforts of a water engineer from Bangkok, Thanet Natisri (Nophand Boonyai), to divert the rainwater running into the sinkholes. Watching Thanet secure the aid of a local expert and then build a team, without any official endorsement or instruction to do so, was highly affecting. And it all led to the film’s most powerful moment, when Thanet and Narongsak try to convince some local farmers to let the run-off flow into their fields, which would devastate their crops. Few scenes have ever better reminded me of the good humanity is capable of when faced with tremendous adversity.

Before I conclude, I want to briefly mention the diving sequences, which constitute the most entertaining sections of the movie. For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed these scenes and how extremely claustrophobic they were. When Thirteen Lives ended, it was abundantly clear to me that cave diving is one of the craziest things a person can do, without a doubt. What wasn’t clear to me, however, was how arduous the dive through Tham Luang cave actually was. This was mainly because the diving sequences were never particularly prolonged. A character would dive, a bit of their gear would snag or something, and then they’d emerge further down the tunnel, with an overlay displaying whatever distance they swam. I fully understand that a sustained diving sequence may be too much to ask for, since it’s obvious that even the briefest of underwater scenes was quite difficult to shoot. Still, I never quite got a feel for what these divers really went through, and that’s a bit dissatisfying.

To wrap up, Thirteen Lives is a highly respectful, tactful, and well-made film showcasing one of the greatest rescues in human history. Ron Howard, the actors, and the crew were all clearly aware of how important this story is and showed the perfect amount of reverence for it. Had the characters been less thinly drawn, Thirteen Lives would fit right in alongside Apollo 13 and Rush as another Howard masterpiece championing human determination. As it is, it’s still an inspiring movie that reminds us of what we’re capable of when we unite as human beings. And after years of being inundated with superhero stories, it’s nice to see a film demonstrate that nothing tops the real-life version.

If I had to score it, I’d give Thirteen Lives an 8/10.

Notes:

* Fellow divers Chris Jewell (Tom Bateman) and Jason Mallinson (Paul Gleeson) were also really good characters, despite their brief screen-time. Gleeson brings a wryness that matches well with Viggo’s character, and Bateman brings a shakiness that works well with Farrell’s more sympathetic character. While I appreciated both of these supporting actors, I really enjoyed Paul Gleeson, who I hope to see more of in the future.