The Cave is a 2005 American action horror film, directed by Bruce Hunt and distributed by Screen Gems. It was written by Michael Steinberg and Tegan West. Its story follows a group of cave-divers and scientists who become trapped while exploring a cave system in Romania, and encounter a pack of deadly creatures. It stars Cole Hauser, Eddie Cibrian, Morris Chestnut, Marcel Iureș, Lena Headey, Rick Ravanello, Piper Perabo and Daniel Dae Kim. The film was produced by Lakeshore Entertainment and Cinerenta and was released on August 26, 2005. It grossed $6.1 million during its opening weekend and $33.3 million worldwide, against a budget of $30 million. It received negative reviews and has a 12% approval rating based on 111 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Plot During the Cold War era, a group of Soviet and British plunderers drive to an abandoned 13th-century abbey in the Carpathian Mountains. Within the derelict abbey are many mosaics depicting mythological creatures and winged demons. The men wish to access the vaults beneath the floor, and set up a dynamite charge, but the entire floor splits beneath them and they fall through to the bottom of a vast cave system. The explosion also triggers a landslide which demolishes the abbey and covers the opening above the men. They descend further into the cave in the hope of finding a way out, and hear strange rattling sounds in the darkness. Some time later in 2005, a team led by Dr Nicolai, with his associate Dr Kathryn Jennings and cameraman Alex Kim, are excavating the site of the former abbey. They find an opening and examine some of the curious mosaics which are still intact inside the ruins. After further research, Dr Nicolai discovers a river that stretches for miles inside the cave system. Local biologists believe the cave could contain an undiscovered ecosystem, so Dr Nicolai hires a group of American divers led by brothers Jack and Tyler McAllister – thrill seeking professional cave explorers who run a world famous scuba diving team. The divers arrive in Romania with a modified rebreather which allows a diver to remain submerged for up to 24 hours. The team includes rock-climbing professional Charlie, first scout Briggs, sonar expert Strode, and survival expert Top Buchanan. The group descend on cables to the base camp they have set up below. Briggs is chosen to go into the river first to scout