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Film Review: Deepwater Horizon

Compelling human drama saves this by-the-numbers disaster movie

A still from Deepwater Horizon
A still from Deepwater Horizon

Far out in the Gulf of Mexico, offshore rig Deepwater Horizon, leased by petroleum giant BP, was known for drilling the deepest oil well (around 35,000 feet) in 2009. But all that changed the following year when a blowout led to the rig going up in flames, claiming 11 lives and causing a huge oil spill in the Gulf.

Directed by Peter Berg, Deepwater Horizon follows a typical disaster movie graph. The screenplay, based on a New York Times article, revolves around Mike (Mark Wahlberg), an engineer on the rig who becomes one of the heroes along with his boss, Transocean representative Jimmy (Kurt Russell), and crew member Andrea Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez), who are trapped, like many others, as fire, mud, stone and oil blow up and destroy the massive rig.

While this is a by-the-numbers disaster movie, it nonetheless works because of the drama in the middle of the waters, the quick thinking, resilience and dedication of the crew, the thrilling escape and the trauma that follows after surviving such an event. The scene of the returning survivors is heartbreaking.

Opening with the inquiry of a court case voiced over a black screen, we see Williams’ home, where his young daughter, with the help of her mother (Kate Hudson), explains what her father does using a simple cola can, straw and honey. It’s the morning when Mike is heading off to the rig for 21 days to join 125 colleagues on Deepwater Horizon. Berg wastes no time in establishing how the "suits" – the BP executives – are so profit-focussed that they are willing to overlook basic checks and balances. Epitomising all that’s bad about their work ethic is BP representative Donald Vidrine, played by John Malkovich, relishing his part as the villainous decision-maker.

Wahlberg, whose all-too-recognisable washboard abs are missing, provides the energy; his Mike is fast-talking, humane and brave. The biggest win of this suspense thriller is the production design of the rig itself. Berg skilfully navigates through its passages, up its ladders, into its belly and around before the chaos erupts. The film ends with a tribute to the 11 crew members lost in the blast, and continues to underline how big business can make cost-cutting decisions that sometimes have catastrophic results, like the environmental damage caused by the 200 million gallons of oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.

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