Deepwater Horizon Movie Review

Released: September 29th 2016 (United Kingdom)

Length: 107 Minutes

Certificate: 12A

Director: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russel, Kate Hudson, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez and Dylan O'Brien

Deepwater Horizon is the latest action-focused effort from Peter Berg and much like his previous film Lone Survivor it focuses on real life events. It’s a simple film with an incredibly weighty and rugged disaster at its centre.

DH takes place in 2010 around the Gulf of Mexico and follows Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg), an oil worker who arrives at the rig to serve a typical three week venture. Safety is overseen by the respected “Mr Jimmy” Harrel (Kurt Russel) and things appear to be going smoothly at first. However, a miscalculation from BP company man Donald Vidrine (John Malkovich) places schedules ahead of safety and a catastrophic oil blowout occurs, engulfing the platform in flames. From here a desperate escape takes place. Deepwater Horizon’s narrow plot is clearly focused from the offset without any kind of distractions; it kicks off with a set of character introductions mixed with some smart implementation of foreshadowing before introducing us to the titular oil rig and the 120 people who work there. The film eventually transforms into a constant state of perilous panic with the film cutting between various characters and their efforts to escape the crumbling rig; the tension is unrelenting, a tight grip that only ever leaves the action to focus on the approaching rescue efforts.

Deepwater Horizon keeps its characters simple and straightforward; while the film is told mostly from the perspective of Williams and Mr Jimmy, the film goes the distance to show the struggles of every man and woman trapped in the deadly situation. As the film first arrives at the main setting, there’s a casual and well-realised collection of dialogue which portrays the crew as a close circle of people, though this doesn’t quite rise to its full potential; the film could have used a bit more time to get to know the team further so that we’re completely enveloped in their struggles. The same goes for Williams’s wife Felicia played by Kate Hudson; it has the makings of a strong emotional anchor point but just falls short of engaging the audience fully. It’s the only major aspect of the film that could have used a bit more substance and fine-tuning.

With its central focus on continuous action, Deepwater Horizon pounds the audience hard, but unlike mindless action films, the devastation presented here transports the audience into the roaring heart of the disaster. Often times it’s incredibly disorienting for the characters and the frantic camerawork reflects this. An angry blaze hangs over a majority of the film and as it tears through the Horizon rig, a set of closely knit internal shots alongside computer effects deliver an intimate view of the catastrophe from long exteriors to internal views of the piping. Practical make up effects illustrate some visceral injuries from glass cuts to horrific burns while music is used well to build up the tension with particularly strong flourishes towards the end. Deepwater Horizon, from a technical standpoint, is ultimately a film that demands viewing on the big screen to receive the full impact of its intensity.

As a retelling of one of the biggest oil disasters in history, Deepwater Horizon is a hard-hitting action thriller which succeeds at combining straightforward characterisation with strong special effects. The camaraderie between the oil crew and other characters could have been developed a bit further but otherwise it’s an intense and dramatically engaging ride all the way through.

Rating: 4/5 Stars