Mine 9

Mining - you have to have done it to really appreciate what the guys (and gals I reckon) are doing down there. During the end credits we do get to see some light (interviews with real miners) shed upon that subject matter.

Not an easy life ... even tougher when things go south ... is that pun? Can one say it about mining? Well whatever the case you better not be claustrophobic ... yes this is a movie, but it won't be an easy watch .. in the slightest. Drama and hardship .... and thrill that will or is able to get you to the edge of your seat.

The movie was quite nice, it turned out to be above my expectation the scenes were very good and professional compared to a low budget movie, especially the mining scenes were realistic and great.

The level of thriller is appropriate and it definitely makes you feel in the movie. I just did not like the effects in the explosion scenes but I can say that it is suitable for a low budget movie.

The subject is nice, processing beautiful and I liked that they talked to real mine workers and benefited from their experiences. Definitely, a must watch a movie.

I thought I knew what coal mining was about. But the truth is I had no clue at all. This movie is especially interesting for its realism and the attention to details. I discovered some harsh working conditions, not happening in the 18th century but in modern times and that makes it even more frightening. The machinery is more interesting than in sci-fi movies, and the tension is higher than in alleged horror movies. There are imperfect things, but as a whole, Mine 9 is very impressive.

This low-budget indie offers realistic acting and an air of suspense throughout.

Set in the Appalachians of West Virginia, the film, written and directed by Eddie Mensore, centers on the Salvia Mine #9 and the crew of coal miners, led by their crew chief Zeke (Terry Serpico). He's so concerned about the increasingly hazardous conditions at the mine that he has called the government safety agency MSHA about them.

However, before they can investigate a methane gas explosion and a cave-in has trapped the miners miles below the surface. The movie depicts their desperate attempts to survive with only dwindling oxygen supplies.

Overall, the film gives us some idea of the tremendous dangers the miners face each day and their tenuous relationship with the owners of the mines and the government agencies. To be honest, I felt that there was too limited details of how the mining companies seemingly cut corners to make profits, at the expense of the safety of their workers.

As the credits roll, some real-life veteran miners describe why they put themselves in such a hazardous and grueling work environment each day.

Great acting and directing, but the writing had issues, and I really could've done without that long dragged out constant "coal miner" song.

Novice writer/director (majority of his films all shorts) Eddie Mensore did an excellent job with the directing/camera work, especially considering the confined spaces he had to work with. The cinematography was outstanding.

The writing however had some issues. This screenplay should've been edited to a short, as the first half was basically slow and dragged out without much substance or character development -or- more time added with trimmed down unnecessary scenes and more character development and substance pertaining to what was actually happening/the conflict. I found it hard to follow how/why/what was happening in some scenes, thus convoluting the plot. The slow pacing didn't help either, as the 83 min runtime felt closer to 2 hours. The religious undertones were also a little overbearing and felt forced into the writing. The score was great, but the music was bland and overplayed (the "coal miner" song).

The acting however was outstanding by all the miners, and as realistic and convincing as it gets, with the exception of the female supervisor, who I thought looked like a deer staring into headlights in some scenes.

Nevertheless, the decent second-half suspense somewhat made up for the slow burn dragged out first-half of the film. Aside from the outstanding acting, I liked Cutterhead (2018) writing a little more. It's a 7/10 from me.