The ensuing oil spill following the explosion and sinking of semi-submersible Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit Deepwater Horizon in 2011 devastated states along the Gulf Coast for years to come. It was the worst natural disaster—and largest corporate settlement—in United States history. But before the constant media coverage, before the horrendously painful hearings in which BP CEO Tony Hayward complained, “I want my life back,” there was the incident itself, in which 11 workers lost their lives, 17 were injured and 94 were rescued in an accident that required quick thinking and heroism from ordinary people placed in an extraordinary situation.
Deepwater Horizon
PG-13, 107 minutes
Violet Crown Cinema and Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
This is the focus of Peter Berg’s Deepwater Horizon, an appropriately straightforward disaster film that puts the focus on the people who did their best in impossible circumstances to contain the damage and save one another’s lives. The film follows engineer Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg), head of safety Jimmy “Mr. Jimmy” Harrell (Kurt Russell) and navigation worker Andrea Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez). The crew, 43 days behind on their drill, arrives on the rig to find total disarray. Some key safety crew members have been sent home, shortcuts have been taken on vital security protocols, there are numerous structural and mechanical problems in need of immediate attention—even the phones are unreliable. Under pressure from executives at BP—led by an especially sleazy John Malkovich as Donald Vidrine—to begin drilling immediately, Mr. Jimmy is convinced by a strained yet plausible explanation for bad test results and leaves for his quarters to “wash the day away,” while the team proceeds in his absence.
It’s then that all hell breaks loose, simultaneously highlighting Deepwater Horizon’s best and worst attributes. The exact reasons why this accident occurred are often rushed and technical to the point of being incomprehensible, and in the ensuing melee, it’s often difficult to remember who is doing what and why. All we are left with for character development is “Mr. Jimmy good, Mr. Vidrine bad,” which turns out to be plenty, given the chief concern of the film on the moment-to-moment struggle to prevent a terrible accident from becoming a full-blown catastrophe. Berg certainly respects rig workers and paid detailed attention to the factual sequence of events, but anyone going into Deepwater Horizon with questions about what happened is unlikely to find clear answers.
On its own terms, Deepwater Horizon succeeds; it’s lean, it’s somehow exciting amid the confusion, it’s respectful of the victims and survivors, it does what it sets out to do while remaining steadfastly apolitical. It’s a satisfying depiction of real-world heroism and mankind’s capacity to rise to the occasion with no preparation or warning. The epilogue includes real footage of testimony from Williams, Harrell and Fleytas, which for a moment is as gripping as the film preceding it. If those moments are any indication, a documentary that clarifies some of the unresolved issues on a Blu-Ray release would be the ideal way to experience Deepwater Horizon.
Playing this week
Regal Stonefield 14 and IMAX
The Shops at Stonefield, 244-3213
Blair Witch, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Don’t Breathe, The Magnificent Seven, Masterminds, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Queen of Katwe, Snowden, Storks, Suicide Squad, Sully
Violet Crown Cinema
200 W. Main St., Downtown Mall, 529-3000
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week-— The Touring Years, Bridget Jones’s Baby, Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words, Hell or High Water, The Magnificent Seven, Masterminds, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Snowden, Starving the Beast, Storks, Sully