Director Peter Berg serves up a solid action thriller reminiscent of 70’s disaster films like ‘The Towering Inferno’ and ‘The Poseidon Adventure.’ Based on true events, ‘Deepwater Horizon’ chronicles the harrowing 2010 BP oil rig explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We all know about the worst environmental catastrophe in U.S History. Berg takes the story even further by honoring the brave workers that do their best to prevent it from turning into a fiery hell on water. The horrible truth is that 11 workers lost their lives. It was corporate greed and negligence that caused the explosion on the oil rig located 41 miles off the coast of Louisiana. ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is worth your time on the big screen.
It’s easy to differentiate the good guys from the bad guys. Berg introduces us to the working class crew of the oil rig. We see chief engineer Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) wake up with his lovely wife Felicia (Kate Hudson). At the breakfast table, there is his precocious daughter preparing a show-and-tell school project on how the oil rig works. It’s a simple and effective tutorial to the audience of things to come. Using a shaken can of soda pop, a metal straw and some honey, the cola explodes and gushes on the kitchen table in a sugary goo. No technical jargon is necessary to understand the principles behind drilling for oil through the ocean floor. We cut-to another household where a young crew member Andrea Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez) is having engine problems starting up her classic Mustang heading to work.
Berg wastes no time getting our heroes to the massive oil platform. Everyone is supervised by crew chief Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) affectionately known as “Mr. Jimmy” to the Horizon’s hard working staff. It’s when we meet the BP head honchos that the situation becomes clear. BP executive Don Vidrine (John Malkovich) reveals the facts. He lets them know that they are millions of dollars over budget and behind schedule. He wants the drilling to begin immediately. Mr. Jimmy gets angry at BP for neglecting to run important safety tests before they begin the drilling. When they run the white-knuckle pressure tests, there is still some concern that everything is not stable. Greed rules out as Vidrine demands the workers to proceed leading to disastrous results.
This is where Berg heightens the action. Once the oil rig blows out, all hell breaks loose. The pressure control systems in place cannot handle the immense power of the oil and gas coming from the ocean floor. The action is non-stop as we witness the workers doing everything they can to prevent the oil rig from exploding. Once gases escape along with the oily muck, there is a horrific fire that threatens to destroy the entire structure to rubble. Quickly, it turns from trying to save the oil rig to the crew members trying to save themselves. It’s an incredible survival story that makes the audience feel like they are right there on the fiery wreckage. It’s amazing how this complex piece of machinery is at the mercy of the forces beneath the sea.
The acting is first-rate. Playing the hero, Wahlberg delivers a solid performance as the likable everyman. He’s just a regular guy that wants to get off that rig and go back to his family. Russell is equally good playing the father-figure concerned with getting his crew off the rig alive. Rodriguez gives a compelling performance as the real-life positioning officer Andrea Fleytas. For those unfamiliar with how the oil rig operates, it is actually a floating vessel anchored to the floor bed by the drill. Malkovich displays just the right amount of villainy as the greedy oil boss. Hudson as Wahlberg’s concerned wife makes the most of her role. You are rooting for the crew to return home safely to their loved ones.
Berg and Wahlberg worked together on the effective Army picture ‘Lone Survivor.’ Once again, Berg displays his skill as an action director. ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is a gripping disaster film that hits the mark.
