Ron Howard has had a magnificent career to date; not only did he star in two iconic US comedy shows - The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days - but he’s gone on to be one of the most impressive directors of his generation.

Perhaps it’s his almost ever present sunny disposition that belies his remarkable talent behind the camera, with the two time Oscar winner having helmed such eighties classics as Splash, Cocoon and Parenthood, as well as the likes of Backdraft, Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon, that means that he isn’t taken quite as seriously as he should be.

For his latest, he takes on the true story of what happened to a group of boys in Thailand, on what should have been a day of celebration.

Having just kicked a ball around, the Wild Boars are off to celebrate one of them having a birthday party, with a SpongeBob SquarePants cake no less. As an extra treat their football coach allows them to head off to a local tourist attraction, some caves in the Thai National forest.

As soon as they all get inside the cave system, the weather changes. And unfortunately for them, it’s not just a light drizzle. In fact it’s the start of the monsoon season, arriving a few months earlier than usual. With such a heavy downpour, the boys and their coach find themselves well and truly trapped. And it’s not just for a few hours either.

It’s the kind of scenario the local government officials aren’t really prepared for, nor their local SEALS team, so they have to look further afield for help.

Finding themselves on the next plane out of the UK and out to Thailand are John (Colin Farrell) and Rick (Viggo Mortensen); two specialist cave divers who know a thing or two about water-filled caves. What they find is a whole new challenge; not only a dangerous set of caves to make their way through, but the same set of caves to traverse with thirteen non-divers in tow.

Having done a reccy of the area, they learn that it truly is a tricky cave system. Having finally made their way to them, they soon realise that was the easy part, making them believe that there is no way of getting them all out alive.

Even if you know the outcome of this particular news event that took place in 2018, there are still plenty of reasons to watch it.

Although Howard has directed some big, brash Hollywood flicks in the past, such as 1991’s Backdraft, he shows a lot of class and maturity in not turning this into another blockbusting disaster flick. In fact the best word to describe the entire film is subtle; everything from the acting to the soundtrack is low-key and matter-of-fact. It’s a sign of a brave director to allow the story itself move you and not rely on his box of tricks to amplify the emotional weight of the piece out of proportion.

And an example of that would be Mortensen; his character is highly pragmatic, and certainly not one to lose himself emotionally. He appears to live alone, and is somewhat on the dull side. And yet his actions are the stuff of heroes. He should also get an approving nod for his English accent, which is something that troubles many a fine (and not so fine) US actor.

Farrell too isn’t his usual flamboyant self, giving a wonderfully raw, rough around the edges performance, which reeks of realism.

The cast in general too, should be applauded, for according to Howard, they all decided to take on the challenge of filming all the underwater shots themselves. This may well have come from Mortensen’s passion to do it, and once he’s made that commitment, you probably don’t want to be the one voice that says ‘yeah, I’ll pass thanks’.

No doubt having the actual British divers involved with the rescue involved with the underwater stunt work was a huge help, and a great insight too.

And as mentioned, even if you know the outcome, you may not know the full story, which we admittedly didn’t, that finds the trapped team defined as packages at one point, for reasons that become apparent. Perhaps the biggest surprise however, is that the boys weren’t stamped with a smiling arrow on their persons, seeing as the film was distributed by Amazon, which seems like a missed opportunity.

With such a global collaboration coming to the aid of these trapped youngsters, you can’t help but feel that all those concerned would become honouree members of International Rescue, putting a beaming smile on lady Penelope’s face.

Although the film is a lengthy two and a half hours in length, the dramatic depths it goes to makes it well worth your while. In fact, don’t be surprised if you find yourself, more than once, involuntarily holding your breath throughout.

And as for Howard, it’s yet another fine example of his directing mastery, which perhaps one day he’ll finally get the recognition he whole-heartedly deserves.