Review of Deepwater Horizon (2016) by Marcel A — 23 Oct 2016

In his ongoing mission to establish Mark Wahlberg as the cinematic embodiment of the heroic 'American Everyman' (which started with 2012's 'Lone Survivor' and continues this Christmas with his Boston Marathon drama 'Patriots Day'), director Peter Berg chronicles the cause and immediate aftermath of the fateful 2010 oil rig explosion that resulted in the deaths of 11 workers and the spilling of tens of millions of gallons of petroleum into the Gulf of Mexico (a disaster which remains the country's worst oil spill in its history). The first half of the movie is solid, cranking up the tension and establishing the main players: Wahlberg as the doting husband & father who takes charge of saving his fellow crew members; Kurt Russell as the by-the-books foreman who senses disaster but is powerless to prevent it; John Malkovich as the BP representative who ignores the warning signs and pushes for the underwater drilling that causes the disaster; and Russell's own step-daughter Kate Hudson as Wahlberg's dutiful wife. Their early interactions in the film are pivotal both in helping to explain the science behind the tragic events to come and in making us care about what happens to these characters in the first place.

Once the violent explosions begin, however, the film starts to feel slightly monotonous, abandoning any further attempt at character development in favour of making our heroes dodge one fiery obstacle after another. Despite strong acting all around and Berg's genuine desire to accurately portray the events, the end result falls frustratingly short of delivering either a satisfying corporate takedown or a consistently compelling drama. Good intentions don't always make good movies, and Berg's latest tribute to American bravery suffers from its unwillingness to dig deeper into the darker side of corporate greed.