‘Thirteen Lives’ Celebrates the Power of Collaboration [Movie Review]

The world was gripped when a genuinely Herculean effort was undertaken in 2018 to rescue 12 Thai boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in northern Thailand.

It was an incredible true-life tale of collaboration and innovation to bring about the salvation of these 13 lives. Due to the stirring nature of the events, it was only a matter of time before it was dramatised for the screen. Thirteen Lives came to be, with a large cast of Thai and non-Thai actors and Ron Howard (Apollo 13) at the helm.

The film is technically impressive, as it is captured with claustrophobic underwater cinematography that includes immersive sound design. Also, the massive large-scale camp at the cave’s opening was re-created, helping the whole film to be a gripping experience.

Howard’s decision to approach the story as a methodical thriller-procedural allows Thirteen Lives to feel expansive and inclusive of all the different threads at play. Still, with so many people involved, the attention given to details diverts attention away from depth and development.

Colin Farrell and Viggo Mortensen deliver sturdy performances, but neither could be called the lead, as this is an ensemble piece dedicated to championing the teamwork that occurred.

While many will draw comparisons between this and documentary The Rescue, each has its unique angle, and Thirteen Lives delivers a broader perspective. In contrast, the documentary spends more time on the divers – and an upcoming Netflix docu-series will profile the Thai boys.

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Given the film’s particular approach, Howard was a great choice to direct – and it’s wonderful to see him bounce back from one of his worst (Solo: A Star Wars Story) to one of his new bests.

Thirteen Lives is a claustrophobic survival epic that’s impressive in scale and inspiring in scope. The film captures the near superhuman rescue of a Thai football team in a breathtakingly assembled film committed to honouring the power of collaboration.

Reel Dialogue: The Work of the Body

One of the moments of the rescue effort highlighted by Thirteen Lives was the vast volunteer turnout that made it all possible.

People from near and far gave of their time and resources to help save the soccer team. One even gave their life, in the case of a Thai Navy SEAL who died during the rescue.

The Bible often speaks of the benefits of working together towards a common goal. Yet, it warns against plans which glorify ourselves and not God (for example, the Tower of Babel).

In the Christian life, our teamwork is modelled upon a body and its various parts.

In that way, the parts of the body will not take sides. All of them will take care of one another. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honoured, every part shares in its joy. – 1 Corinthians 12:25-26

This is a body where Christ is the head and his glory is the goal.

Followers of Christ were created and purposed to work together for God’s glory, and His name deserves the utmost praise.

Article supplied with thanks to City Bible Forum.

All images: Movie Stills 

About the author: Michael Walsh is a Missions Engagement Minister in Sydney, and an avid film fan. He grew up renting movies from the local video store, or buying movies with his pocket money. Michael’s love of film is surpassed only by his love of God, and his desire to make the gospel known to all the ends of the earth.