- Actors: Kurt Russell, Mark Wahlberg, James DuMont, Douglas M. Griffin, Joe Chrest
- Director: Peter Berg
- Film Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
- Language: English
- Region: Region A/1
- Number of discs: 2
- Rated: PG-13
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Release Date: January 10, 2017
- Run Time: 97 minutes
Peter Berg and
Mark Wahlberg seem to be on a true-story tour, with their last three films
being collaborations on films about American tragedies and the heroics that
follow. 2013’s Lone Survivor was
about a disastrous Navy Seal mission in Afghanistan, with the title giving
away the end result. Berg and Wahlberg also collaborated on the making of Patriots Day in 2016, a film about the
tragic 2013 Boston
marathon bombing and the quick response by law enforcement to find the terrorist
responsible. Deepwater Horizon fits
perfectly into this trilogy of modern American tragedy, dramatizing the 2010
offshore oil rig disaster which created the worst oil spill in U.S.
history. Along with Patriots Day and Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon proves that Berg is adept at handling real-world
disasters in a way that is visceral and exciting, even if this film seems to
have less to say beyond the tension of the tragedy.
Simplicity has worked for Berg in the past,
and it seems to be his narrative tactic in Deepwater
Horizon as well. There is not much plot beyond the tragic event, and we
only truly get to know a handful of the characters that we spend the running
time with. At the forefront is Mike Williams (Wahlberg), Chief Electrical
Engineer on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. We know more about Mike than any
other character, given glimpses into his home life as the oil man explains his
job to his young daughter for her school presentation and has an early morning
rendezvous with his wife (Kate Hudson) before departing for work. We are also
given a brief scene of home life for Andreas Fleytas (Gina Rodriguez), though
the significance of her character isn’t clear until becoming crucial to a few moments
of suspense during the disaster.
Superintendent
Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) is given no back-story, though he may be of more
significance than even Wahlberg’s character, if only because he adds whatever
little message the narrative has. Once the disaster begins, this film is little
more than a thrill ride. As he did with Lone
Survivor, Berg proves capable of making audiences squirm as characters
endure injuries, focusing on pain and mutilation of bodies. This is incredibly
intense, but it serves a duel purpose as a distraction from the fact that there
isn’t much to this story beyond the filming of the tragic mistake as a
cinematic spectacle. Only a collection of scenes prior to the disaster involve
Harrell scolding BP oil executives (one of which is played by John Malkovitch)
for their decision to skip important safety tests in order to save the company
money.
The condemnation
of the company’s preoccupation with profit over the lives of their employees is
a theme at the center of Deepwater
Horizon, though this righteous anger has nowhere to go within this
narrative. Frustrating as the details involving the disaster are, the
screenplay doesn’t know what to do with that righteous anger. All Berg can do
is make a few of the participants look shameful, while the victims of the
company’s greed are fittingly portrayed as heroic. Even if the spectacle of the
tragedy is undeniably riveting, I couldn’t help but wonder what the point of
the film was by the time the credits were rolling.
Though the film
seems to lack the depth that the material desperately longs for, the spectacle
is embraced in the Blu-ray release of the film. The high definition and
surround sound audio makes it clear that the movie works best in its moments of
action. The special features, on the other hand, seem to be more preoccupied
with filling in the historical background that is missing from the narrative.
Exclusive to the Blu-ray is a 5-part hour-long feature with interviews from
both the actors and the real-life survivors of the tragedy. Also exclusive to
the Blu-ray is a featurette about Berg’s direction, with interviews from key
cast members. Included on both the DVD and Blu-ray are three additional
featurettes; one focuses on the stunts and the massive oil rig built as the
set, another provides raw footage from some of the sequences in the movie, and
the last provides additional stories of heroism from the workers on the rig.
The set also comes with a DVD and Digital HD copy of the film.
** I must warn
consumers that Deepwater Horizon
digital copies have yet to show up on several of the streaming services
(specifically Flixter Video, which seems to be falling apart) connected with
Ultraviolet. You may be paying for a digital copy that you will never receive.
If that is important to you, I suggest double checking its availability on your
chosen streaming service before spending money on this release. Hopefully
studios/Ultraviolet will soon take notice of these shortcomings and take
action.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 6.5/10
Special Features: 8/10
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