Wednesday, September 28, 2016

'Deepwater Horizon' Tells Tragic True Story




By Darlene Donloe

Back in 2010 one of the worst oil rig spills in history happened when the Deepwater Horizon, located off the Louisiana coast, exploded killing 11 men.

The story of what happened that day is told in the drama, Deepwater Horizon, out in theaters this Friday, Sept 29.

The tension-filled, disaster film is inspired by the true story of the April 20, 2010 BP oilrig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. It not only chronicles what happened that day, but also highlights the courage of some of the people who worked on the rig.

The real-life disaster lasted about 87 days as oil flowed uncontrollably into the Gulf Of Mexico. BP was found to be at fault in 2014 and had to pay billions in clean-up, penalties and settlements.

The film starts off a bit slow. The set-up drags a bit too long. But when the mayhem starts the film goes full blast (pun intended).

What happened on the rig is horrific and eye-opening. The fact that only 11 men loss their lives is miraculous. Survivors numbered 115.

Peter Berg (Lone Survivor) has directed a powerful recollection complete with disturbing images and actual testimony from the actual workers who were aboard the Horizon when it blew. It’s a gut-wrenching story to watch unfold, especially when it shows the disaster was unnecessary.

Mark Wahlberg’s character, Mike Williams, is the only one who has a full-fledged story. We meet his wife (Kate Hudson) and his daughter and get to witness their relationship.  So, essentially Wahlberg’s character is the only one with whom we can actually connect.

Kurt Russell plays a concerned leader on the rig. John Malkovich is delicious as an insensitive BP executive.

Berg has crafted an adrenalized, emotional human drama. It’s clear by the direction of the film that the point was to honor the heroic men and women aboard that ill-fated.

Good performances and great visuals bring this “disastrous” film to life.

Deepwater Horizon, directed by Peter Berg, stars Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O’Brien and Kate Hudson.

Deepwater Horizon (Lionsgate) is Rated: PG-13 (for prolonged intense disaster sequences and related disturbing images, and brief strong language.)

Running time: 99 minutes

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), Deepwater Horizon gets an O (oh, yeah)

Hashtags: #DeepwaterHorizonMovie

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