55
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100New York Daily NewsAllen SalkinNew York Daily NewsAllen SalkinThe best part is that unlike “Lost,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “The Sopranos,” you won't be left scratching your head about the thrilling, completely satisfying ending.
- 75The PlaylistKatie WalshThe PlaylistKatie WalshDespite the predictability of storytelling, The 33 is an undeniably rousing picture.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreAntonio Banderas plays the growling veteran miner who shows flint and organizational moxie when the worst happens. And Lou Diamond Phillips, laying it on thick, is the guilt-ridden colleague, trapped with the others, whose job it is “to keep these men SAFE.” Which he does. Repeatedly. Loudly. Passionately.
- There is no question that this is an extraordinary tale of human fortitude and resilience: at least some of the tears that will be shed in the film will be honestly earned.
- 60Village VoiceStephanie ZacharekVillage VoiceStephanie ZacharekThe 33, directed by Patricia Riggen, makes a valiant effort to tell this harrowing story onscreen, and there are moments when every shifting plate clicks right into place. In the end, though, the picture stumbles, and it may not completely be the fault of the filmmakers.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenThe Hollywood ReporterSheri LindenDirector Patricia Riggen finds a rigorous and affecting visual language for The 33, but she and her international cast are hampered by a screenplay that too often gets in the way of a powerful story.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenMight be more engaging were it not for the melodrama heavily larded into the screenplay (cobbled together by numerous writers).
- 40VarietyScott TobiasVarietyScott TobiasIn broad strokes, the events that unfold are undeniably riveting.... The trouble is, The 33 only knows broad strokes. Lacking any specific angle on the ordeal, the filmmakers give the once-over-lightly treatment to every aspect of it, which ensures that none of them will be properly served.
- 38Slant MagazineElise NakhnikianSlant MagazineElise NakhnikianThe film doles out a shock or hits a (usually hollow) emotional note every few minutes with mechanical precision.