Real-life disaster stories seem more compelling than
fictional. Whilst the likes of ‘The Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Poseidon
Adventure’ achieved cult status, they lack the dramatic authenticity of factual
tales. Based on America’s worst ever oil spill, ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is
steeped in gritty realism. As a disaster epic that actually happened, it
creates a stirring ode to survival and courage.
Working on an oil rig away from his wife and daughter, Mike
(Mark Wahlberg) diligently does his duties. Named ‘Deepwater Horizon’,
the rig employs dozens of crew members including Jimmy (Kurt Russell) and
Donald (John Malkovich). The rig is terminally damaged with thousands of
gallons of oil released into the ocean as a result of a cataclysmic explosion.
Helping rescue his fellow co-workers, Mike grapples with the fall-out of a
disastrous day he won’t forget.
‘Deepwater Horizon’ doesn’t skimp on the explosive rendering
of a terrible accident. Seeing such destruction and death almost borders
on ‘disaster-porn’ territory. The strongly written characters deftly
manage to sway such thoughts with strong acting and direction. Whilst
structurally the script adheres to a somewhat standard disaster template,
‘Deepwater Horizon’ holds together well. The lessons learnt from messing
with nature and petty point-scoring are realistically handled under director
Peter Berg’s steady gaze.
Making ‘Deepwater Horizon’ effective is its ability to
simply tell a complex story. How and why the event happened is clearly
explained with typically amazing CGI helping the viewer understand exactly how
it began. Although occasionally slowing the story down, CGI provides more
dramatic weight to the unfolding drama. More could have been made about
the after-shocks of the awful incident with the follow-through just as
engrossing as the actual incident.
Disaster films like ‘Deepwater Horizon’ show no signs of
vanishing. Despite being not as gaudily kitsch as their 70’s
counterparts, the genre continues to develop in new ways to capture
audiences. This latest wrinkle should ensnare a few new devotees to seek
out past disaster epics in the hope such occurrences never happen to them.
Movie Review Rating out of 10: 7
Movie Review by Patrick Moore
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