Last week we carried the news that the EA Masters event on 21st September has secured John Volanthen as a headline speaker.

Volanthen’s name came to prominence in 2018 when he played a leading role in the operation to extract a dozen young boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand.

The story went viral as the world held its collective breath to see if the rescuers could pull off what looked like an impossible mission.

The technical challenges and the danger were of the highest order and the outcome could so easily have been entirely tragic. That it succeeded, despite the loss of two of the Thai navy SEALS, is a testament to the skills and courage of all involved.

We mentioned in the article last week that the announcement of Volanthen as a speaker coincided with the debut of the Ron Howard film of the Thai cave rescue, ‘Thirteen Lives’ which has Hollywood actor Colin Farrell playing the part of John Volanthen. It is on Prime Video and in some cinemas.

EYE watched it over the weekend and it is a total triumph.

The story is told without sensationalism, the terrifying drama unfolding with agonising predictability. We know what happened, we know the outcome, yet so cleverly is the story told that it is possible to believe it might, even now, still go horribly wrong.

The extraordinary camera work depicts the appalling conditions and the risks to the lives of the trapped and their rescuers with nail-biting clarity; the tension is gripping throughout and at times almost unbearably vivid.

There is evident respect for the Thai people and, best of all, not a trace of Hollywood hyperbole anywhere to be seen. Be warned, you may shed a tear or two.

The film and those who made it truly deserve to win every award going.

We don’t usually put such reviews into the pages of EYE but in the case of Thirteen Lives there is ample justifcation for:

a) watching the film, because it’s brilliant;

b) getting tickets to EA Masters, because it is also brilliant; and

c) going to EA Masters and listening to John Volanthen because he has gone through a most extraordinary experience that we are sure will amaze and inspire his audience. Can’t wait to hear him speak.

To purchase your tickets– visit http://www.eamasters.co.uk/tickets

Property Industry Eye is the official Industry News Partner of EA Masters.