Directed by:
Frank MarshallScreenplay:
John Patrick ShanleyCinematography:
Peter JamesComposer:
James Newton HowardCast:
Ethan Hawke, Vincent Spano, Josh Hamilton, Bruce Ramsay, John Newton, Kevin Breznahan, Sam Behrens, Illeana Douglas, Jack Noseworthy, Michael DeLorenzo (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
In October 1972, a plane chartered by the Uruguayan rugby team crashed in to the snow-covered Andes. Many passengers were killed on contact, but several people survived. They only had rations for a short time. When they learned through their transistor radio that the search effort for their plane had been aborted, two team members tried to cross the Andes in search of civilization. A young medical student warned them that if they wanted to survive until help arrived they must eat the flesh of their dead compatriots. When the trekkers who succeeded in reaching Chile returned with help some time later, 16 had been kept alive through cannibalism, and 29 had died from the accident, the avalanche, and the cruelty of the weather. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Reviews (5)
A solid cannibal survival drama involving a very intense plane crash and the stranding of several members of a rugby team in very cold and freezing weather. Courage and ingenuity follow us throughout the film and the film also beautifully illustrates the fact that only the strongest individuals survive in the wild. I liked most of the members and I was rooting for them. A well-deserved four stars. 75%
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A well-known story of an air crash with action sequences that are a throwback to the 1990s. But the rest is a bit boring and dull and isn’t salvaged by the few callous shots which, like it or not, had to appear due to the topic of the story.
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Impressive in its time, perhaps a bit shocking, as there were relatively few of these narrative survival films until the early 1990s, and those few were only marginally impressive due to poor technical quality. Even here, there is an annoying rear projection and a few other ailments, but the impressive cinematography and the riveting Andes do their job. The bland pacing and many dull scenes, on the other hand, bring it down to average, and you basically tiptoe around the film's biggest highlight. It has lost its urgency and luster over time, but it's still solid filmmaking with a damn serious theme based on a true story. And it also stars Ethan Hawke and Lionel Messi!
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I had been putting off this adventure film for a long time. I finally got around to it. I must admit that the depiction of the crash is truly meticulous (considering the film was made over 30 years ago), it really took my breath away. The acting was also fine, but I do have one comment: At times, the film’s excessive polish was quite striking (which is likely influenced by the American production). I’m looking forward even more to the Spanish version that came out earlier this year on Netflix (and from the initial footage, it looks much more naturalistic). Don’t get me wrong. Frank Marshall certainly delivered a quality cinematic product. Just don’t expect a genre-defining hit, or you might be mildly disappointed. I give it a 7/10.
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A movie that many people will probably remember from television. It’s a story about how sometimes survival means doing something that a person wouldn't normally do. Sure, it heavily relies on emotions, sometimes unnecessarily so, but it's still a powerful story about how if a person wants to, they can cope with the consequences of fate. Unfortunately, not everyone can survive.
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