The very much generic disaster movie structure bogs down the early parts of this based-on-true-events film about the explosion aboard the American oil drilling rig Deepwater Horizon in 2010. Peter Berg introduces his characters in a rushed, formulaic manner, with dialogue that plays out too snappily and rehearsed, and Mark Wahlberg and Gina Rodriguez are so desperate to come off as blue-collar that they end up sounding borderline parodic. Still, once the tragic events of that night in April 2010 start taking over, which are brought to life with a brilliant technical and visual artistry, the clumsy interpersonal elements are moved to the background and the film attains a dynamic, high-octane drive which will leave you invested and exhausted. It's a remarkable achievement by the film's special effects team, who are able to make the action look organic. And with the action propelling them forward, the actors also begin to find their footing, not least Kurt Russell who gives a believable performance as the rig's installation manager.
Review of Deepwater Horizon
