- Actors: Tom Cullen, Armie Hammer, Annabelle Wallis
- Directors: Fabio Resinaro, Fabio Guaglione
- Disc Format: Color, Dolby, NTSC, THX, Widescreen
- Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1)
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: Not Rated
- Studio: Well Go USA
- Release Date: June 13, 2017
- Run Time: 106 minutes
Mine
attempts to do something unique with its survival tale, keeping the protagonist
stuck in the same spot for most of the film. There are two reasons it is not
entirely successful, and the first is that this idea is far from original. The
easiest comparison to make would be 127
Hrs. and recently released The Wall,
though moments may also call to mind Buried,
All is Lost, and even Vehicle 19 or Locke. The second reason that the film eventually overstays its
welcome is a reliance on hallucinations/dream sequences and flashbacks over the
tension of the situation at hand. There may be little excitement in watching a
man stand stationary for over an hour, but there is even less in the melodrama
of his ordinary life.
The film begins
with two United States
marines on a mission in the deserts of an unnamed area of the Middle
East. Mike (Armie Hammer) is a sniper whose mission is to take out
a target at the remote location, with the help of his spotter, Tommy (Tom
Cullen), but he doesn’t complete the task when he discovers that the
assassination is to take place during a wedding. Stranded in the desert after
failing to complete the mission, the implications seem to be that the military
is in no rush to extract the two soldiers. Forced to walk to their rendezvous
point, the pair unwittingly takes a path that leads them into a mine field.
Once Mike hears the click of a mine underfoot, he freezes, knowing that any
change in pressure could end his life.
It takes about
25 of the 107 minutes to reach this basic set-up, and the remainder of the film
is mostly stationary. At its best, Mine
is a survival tale that relies on the innovative thinking of its survivor.
Along with the obvious hardships such as hunger and thirst, Mike must endure
sandstorms, a pack of wild dogs, and eventually even attacking insurgents.
There is also the task of reaching his radio and everything needed to make it
work, in order to communicate his situation with those who can help rescue him.
When these are the things focused on in Mine,
it works relatively well. Unfortunately, as he grows weak from the struggle the
film uses it as a reason to justify flashbacks and hallucinations to remove us
from the reality of the situation.
Killing the
momentum of the scenario, far too much of the second half of the film is stuck
in the drama of Mike’s home life. At the center of this are predictable father
issues and trouble with his relationship to his girlfriend, Jenny (Annabelle
Wallis), which is not nearly dramatic enough to match the intensity of the
desert. Add to this an over-reliance on visual allegories and obvious
connections between his situation and the memories brought forth, and suddenly Mine goes from being an intelligent
thriller to a heavy-handed melodrama. Even an excitement-filled conclusion and
minor twist ending can’t bring the narrative back up to speed after devolving
into petty relationship issues rather than focusing on the survival at hand.
The Blu-ray
release comes with a DVD copy and a handful of special features on the discs.
These include deleted scenes, a making-of promotional featurette, and a feature
about the visual effects with corresponding storyboards. There is also a
trailer.
Entertainment Value:
7/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical Significance:
5/10
Special Features: 5/10
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