This version of events, which stars Viggo Mortensen as laconic British cave diver Rick Stanton and Colin Farrell as fellow cookie-collecting expert John Volandhen, follows the 2021 Bafta-nominated documentary The Rescue. But while both films essentially tell the same story, there is a noticeable difference in tone. Thirteen Lives is sober, efficient, and level-headed, where The Rescue has a penchant for heavy scoring and emotional engineering. Howard’s deft, reckless handling of events belies how complex this venture is as a piece of storytelling. Cave divers are key figures, but the film also follows the input of Thai groundwater expert Thanet Natisri (Nophand Boonyai). It weaves together the Thai Navy Seals, the children’s families and touches on the political scene. The rescue, Thirteen Lives emphasizes, was a team effort. and likewise this exciting part of filmmaking. Credit goes to cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and the entire sound department for shattering the air outside the cinema with an unbearably claustrophobic sub-aqua sound design sequence.
