The Rescue

The Rescue isn’t just a movie about cave divers, or a recap of a well-reported humanitarian operation. It’s ultimately a film about the triumph of altruism, ingenuity and perseverance in the face of almost impossible odds, by the very people you might initially have dismissed as not up to the task.

The filmmakers — superbly incorporating a combination of stunning archival footage (much of it previously unseen), dramatic reenactments and interviews with the principal figures — present the harrowing tale in riveting nail-biting fashion, leavened by welcome doses of mordant humor from the incredibly brave volunteers.

This should be a no-brainer for anyone who watched the saga unfold on television, but even those who weren’t glued to the screen in 2018 should seek it out. The Rescue is easily one of the best documentaries of the year.

The Rescue is an edge-of-your-seat experience. Vasarhelyi and Chin shoot this thing like a thriller, combining both actual footage shot during the rescue with recreations featuring the actual divers, blending all this footage together seamlessly to create a wholly cinematic experience.

The Rescue is an enthralling documentary, with a real-life story so spectacular you can hardly believe it. That’s why the film’s overwhelming polish sometimes undermines the real-life story it’s trying to tell.

The result is an extremely thorough documentation of events, and a literal one. The Rescue is not so much a film as it is a record.

Not only is the story compelling, but thanks to how much the event captured the interest of the world’s media, there is a lot of archive footage to splice in among the generous wodges of talking-heads narration from the main participants.

The world watched for days in 2018, when 12 boys on a soccer team and their coach were trapped deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand. This doc chronicles the determined perseverance and unusual approaches that made the story so compelling. There’s plenty of actual footage, in addition to staged scenes that allowed the filmmakers to recreate some of the incredible passages. Interestingly, none of the rescued boys or their family were interviewed. Even so, several of the people involved with the undertaking, including the cave divers who ultimately saved the day, lend their personal angle. While there is some emotion when the mission is accomplished, much of the procedure leading up to that is relayed in a rather flat, National Geographic style. Still, it’s a fascinating account.

Just when you think humanity is doomed, documentaries like 'The Rescue' give you hope on what can be achieved when everyone cooperates towards a common end. And what best reward than knowing you saved a life. And that, to me, it's the point of this film: homaging those who risked their lives to accomplish the impossible. Also, the reenactments here are nearly flawless; you'll have a hard time telling those apart from archival footage.