First, the Recap:
Just another day on the job. Always the sentiment found among many a worker, regardless of profession, the “typical day” seems like an all-too-common occurrence for better or worse. But in April 2010, operations supervisor Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) and Chief Electrical Engineer Mark Williams (Mark Wahlberg) board the massive floating oil rig Deepwater Horizon, located in the Gulf of Mexico, to start a new 3-week stint. Finding that visiting BP Oil execs Kaluza (Brad Leland) and Vidrine (John Malkovich) have cut corners with necessary inspections due to the drilling schedule being behind, warnings to both by Harrell and Williams as to the safety risks go unheeded. Then, the unthinkable–a full blowout occurs, causing catastrophic damage, and it will take all the veteran skills of Harrell and Williams to try and get everyone out alive.
Worth Seeing: YES
No stranger to the action or drama genres, director Peter Berg delivers a swiftly-paced, edge-of-your-seat, true story-based tale with skillful intent and intensely shot cinematography. Putting the viewer front and center for all the events, from the initial look at the life of an oil rig worker, the ugly politics of the executives, to the fiery maelstrom the crew of over 120 faced during the nerve-fraying, monumental blowout, nothing is presented piecemeal here.
Wahlberg, as always, carries his role with the bravado and ease we’ve come to expect from him playing an everyman thrust into extraordinary circumstances. Same goes for Russell, Leland, and Malkovich, plus a fantastic supporting cast who certainly earned their stripes while filming this! But, this does also serve as a sobering reminder and heartbreaking tribute to those lost as to how things getting overlooked or treated half-heartedly can cost so dearly.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
