Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/617280
T he world watched captivated as miners trapped 69 days more than 2000 feet underground came up safely in a tiny capsule one by one in 2010 in Chile. The amazing rescue—in which many professionals and companies in the groundwater industry played a significant part—seemed right out of a movie. Perhaps then it was inevitable, but the story is now indeed a major motion picture. The 33, a film from Warner Brothers, began on November 13 and stars Hollywood veteran actors Antonio Banderes, Lou Diamond Phillips, and James Brolin. "That's the only way in and the only way out" says one miner to another soon after the crew enters the mine entrance. Those ominous words take on even more meaning after a mammoth rock described in the movie as "twice the size of the Empire State Building" collapses the mine and traps 33 men underground. The film then bounces between a race to rescue the men, the miners contending with heat and the need for food and water, the anguished families above ground attempting to not lose hope, and the response of the Chilean government. So how is it? How does the drilling look on the big screen? Water Well Journal Editor Thad Plumley and Copy Editor Wayne Beatty, the journal's resident movie buffs, recently discussed The 33 after both took in the film. First off, what was the movie experience like for you? Thad Plumley: I enjoyed the movie for the most part. Seeing multiple drill masts dot the landscape at the rescue site on a huge movie screen was fun. And the mine collapse scene was one I won't forget for a while. It was amazing—and loud! I felt myself panicking for everyone on the screen. I thought the special effects and the sets were incredibly well done. Wayne Beatty: What has always drawn me to movies is their power to dramatize and bring back to life events that hap- pened some time ago and make everything real again. We get to relive the experience! Sure, the story of the Chilean mine rescue is a familiar one we've read about. But seeing the movie makes the story jump off the page and happen all over again. This is not a made-for-Hollywood movie where drillers are depicted as action figures say as in Bruce Willis and his team of drillers executing a risky plan to save the planet in the movie Armageddon. No, the drillers in The 33 are presented as real workers just doing their jobs. Let's begin there. What was your impression of the drilling side of the story? Too little? Just about right? Beatty: Before going to the movie, I read once again the arti- cle "Lending a Hand" in WWJ (December 2010) that had appeared soon after the miners' rescue. So I was expecting and hoping to see more about the drilling side of the rescue. I was a little disappointed, but could understand why the movie spent more time emphasizing the human-interest side of the story about the miners and their families. I will say, though, the drilling story, although not treated as much as I would like to have seen, is still told and given its due. Plumley: Agreed. It was too little for me. Obviously, I get fo- cusing on the trapped miners and their families as the movie did, but I hoped more time would be dedicated to explaining and showing the drilling efforts. I thought the movie did a good job of showing the diffi- culty of reaching the miners and how hole deviation impacted the rescue efforts. However, I had hoped the movie would mention it was folks from our industry who convinced the Chilean government the rescue could happen faster than its original timeline. I also wished the movie would have mentioned the great job and precision Jeff Hart and his crew did as they eased the drill into the chamber where the drillers were instead of breaking through with too much power. That was impressive drilling! A less experienced driller could have accidently created a new set of problems. Rescued miners: (left, white helmet) Lou Diamond Phillips as Luis Urzua and (right, red helmet) Antonio Banderas as Mario Sepúlveda star in The 33, a Warner Bros. Pictures release about the rescue of Chilean miners in 2010. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. MOVIES continues on page 28 Twitter @WaterWellJournl WWJ January 2016 27