Deep Water Horizon
This is a disaster movie with sub-titles. The oil rig’s
catastrophic destruction overwhelms the film. Any human-interest stories are
marginalized by non-stop devastation. This is a very technical film. Laced in
the dialogue are explanations of the rig’s operation and what went catastrophically
wrong. Big pressure dials, lots of buttons are displayed to show the rig’s
complexity. Peter Berg, the director, did an effective job depicting the
disaster and fatal decisions leading up to the explosion. But the annihilation becomes
wearisome.
The first hour of the movie is set up. The movie starts with
Mark Walberg and Kate Hudson wife and husband waking up in bed. Walberg has
lost his Calvin Kiln underwear model six pack replaced by just one pack and
Hudson is puffy in the wrong places (desperately needs a manicure). From there things
escalate. There are some fine performances. Kurt Russell who plays Mr. Jimmy
the tough but compassionate rig boss and John Malkovich is his counter point. Malkovich
is the BP executive desperate to meet deadlines by cutting expenses. The clash
between Russell and Malkovich is the start of cataclysmic dominos culminating in
the death of eleven men and culminating in billions of dollars in damage.
The movie gives short shrift to the ensuing ecological
disaster. Over 130 million gallons of oil was released into the Gulf polluting 1,100
miles of shore lines. Countless numbers of wild life perished. BP would pay
$20b to settle claims. Berg just gave one sentence at the end of the film.
Unless you are a rough neck or a bored retired catastrophe
underwriter this film is not for you.
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