DAVID ADAMS reviews the real life disaster film, Deepwater Horizon…
Deepwater Horizon (M)
In a Word: Powerful
Mark Wahlberg stars as technician Mike Williams and (right) Kurt Russell as Mr Jimmy is Deepwater Horizon.
“Sure, there’s lots of technical talk as we’re introduced to the nitty gritty of how the rig works and we’re given some glimpses of wider issues (such when an oil drenched bird flies into a shop) but it’s the film’s narrow perspective – to do no more and no less than that – which gives it such strength.”
Eleven people died when, on 20th April, 2010, the offshore drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded into flames after the well cap blew off, causing what became the largest environmental disaster in US history.
This film, directed by Peter Berg and based on an article in The New York Times, tells the story of that fateful event in the Gulf of Mexico. Mark Wahlberg plays chief electronics technician Mike Williams and we follow him as he returns to the floating rig (which is owned and operated by Transocean for BP) and begins what initially seems to be just an ordinary day.
It soon becomes clear it isn’t as the man in charge of the rig – Jimmy Harrell “Mr Jimmy” (Kurt Russell) – questions the BP supervisors why they didn’t ensure the well’s integrity was tested. But the men from BP – in particular Donald Vidrine (played by John Malkovich) and Robert Kaluza (Brad Leland) – are all too conscious of how far behind schedule they are and, downplaying the issues, only reluctantly agree to tests which they are still conducting when the well head explodes.
While tragic, it is amazing that only 11 men were killed given the speed with which disaster overtook the rig and, based on the film, it’s the individual acts of heroism – including those by Williams as well as crane operator Aaron Dale Burkeen (played here by Jason Kirkpatrick) – that saved many lives.
We’re left in no doubt as to where the blame for this disaster lays – corners being cut thanks to the demands of corporate greed – although the film doesn’t overplay the blame aspect. It closes with a touching tribute to those who died and we get to see the actual people who were involved.
The visual effects are spectacular and the film does a good job of keeping the suspense, always a challenge in a movie in which the outcome of events is widely known. There’s some good acting given the limited scope for dramatic performances – including the performance of Kate Hudson as William’s wife Felicia – as the film keeps its gaze focused firmly on the events of the day when the rig exploded.
Sure, there’s lots of technical talk as we’re introduced to the nitty gritty of how the rig works and we’re given some glimpses of wider issues (such when an oil drenched bird flies into the bridge of a nearby ship) but it’s the film’s narrow perspective – to do no more and no less than than focus on the events of the 20th April, 2010 – which gives it such strength.
