The Pennsylvania Miners' Story (2002) (TV)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

David Frankel

Writer:

Elwood Reid (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Buried under tons of rock, drowning in water, losing air, all they had left was the will to survive. Hope runs deep.

Plot:

Based on the real-life chronicle of the "nine for nine" Pennsylvania coal miners who were rescued in the summer of 2002...

Plot Keywords:

Coal Miner | Rescue | Trapped In A Mine | Based On True Story

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Graham Beckel	...	Randy Fogle
Dylan Bruno	...	Blaine Mayhugh
Marisa Ryan	...	Leslie Mayhugh
J.D. Souther	...	Dennis 'Harpo' Hall (as John David Souther)
Michael Bowen	...	Robert 'Boogie' Pugh
Brad Greenquist	...	Ronald 'Hound Dog' Hileman
Robert Knepper	...	Mark ' Moe' Popernack
William Mapother	...	John 'Flathead' Phillippi
John Ratzenberger	...	Thomas 'Tucker' Foy
Finn Carter	...	Missy Phillippi
Anjanette Comer	...	Sue Unger
Annie Corley	...	Annette Fogle
Lucinda Jenney	...	Cindy Thomas
Kathleen McNenny	...	Sandy Popernack
Mariann Mayberry	...	Cathy Hileman

Also Known As:

Nine in the Mine (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Somerset, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Sanitsky Company

well done, scary, inspiring

I don't know what it's like to be a miner, but this movie certainly showed that miners are 'a different breed'. They were shown to be capable of handling much more than the average person, and probably more than they thought. The scenes of the danger, especially the rising water, inside the mine appeared very realistic and quite scary. While at times the miners appeared on the verge of giving up, who wouldn't be? But they didn't just give up, and this real-life event had to be nothing more than a miracle. Some of the miners had a strong faith, and those who didn't had to develop one fast. When they all said "The Lord's Prayer", it was clear all of them knew what it would take to get them out of the situation.

The one weakness, for me, was the cliched performances of some of the family members who were desperate for information or good news. But as one cast member said, these people were just saying what everyone wanted to. I also thought some of the bad language was unnecessary, especially when the miners were not yet in danger (though you have to believe the real miners said much worse). One source referred to the movie as family-oriented, and except for the language and some scary moments, it surely was.