USA | China 2016
Opening November 24, 2016
Directed by: Peter Berg
Writing credits: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand
Principle actors: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Andrea Fleytas
On April 20, 2010, the first of a number of explosions rocked the floating oil platform called Deepwater Horizon, off the coast of Louisiana. Subsequent explosions, culminated in a Blow Out and huge fires raged aboard and for 87 days spilling an estimated 40 million liters of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico and destroying life under water as well as on the coasts of Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. The ecological damage was catastrophic and the cleanup took years.
The film is a reenactment of the horrifying events and one of the most frightening films I ever saw. The actors are well chosen and the performances, of what can be described as an ensemble cast, are excellent: leading the cast, Mark Wahlberg, as Mike Williams, Kurt Russell as Mr. Jimmy, and John Malkovich as one of the BP executives, Donald Vidrine. The terror of the situation of the 126 men on board the platform is palpable, thanks to extraordinary work by the director, Peter Berg.
The culpability, greed and indifference to the needs of the platform and crew by the leaser, British Petroleum (BP), is jaw-dropping! Amazingly, the men, dedicated to doing their jobs well, and with the help of rescue crews and boats, were able to save 115 men; 11 are still classified as missing. The event is hard enough to watch, how these men and one woman, Andrea Fleytas, were able to survive this trauma emotionally and psychologically, is hard to comprehend. In a civil suit in 2014, BP was finally held responsible for gross negligence. Based on a New York Times article: “DeepWater Horizon’s Final Hours” by David Barstow, David Rohde and Stephanie Saul. ()