The true story of the workers who became trapped on the oil rig
​Deepwater Horizon when it exploded due to a pressure buildup.

ACTION/BIOPIC/DRAMA

Deepwater Horizon (2016)

Directed by Peter Berg

Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Matthew Sand

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Kate Hudson,
John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez, Dylan O'Brien,
​Ethan Suplee, Douglas M. Griffin, James DuMont

Oscar Nominations - Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing

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Connor Eyzaguirre

​October 8, 2016

8/10

In 2010, an oil rig belonging to BP exploded and killed eleven oil workers, as well as injured hundreds more. The resulting spill caused one of the biggest ecological disasters in history and tainted BP's reputation forever. Despite all of that, all charges against the two executives responsible for it were eventually dropped. Deepwater Horizon tells the harrowing story of the men and women aboard the oil rig when it exploded and how they struggled to escape the inferno together. It's a film that packs a lot of punch and once again shows the dangerous consequences of corporate greed.

Mark Wahlberg delivers, in my opinion, his most humanizing performance yet as Mike Williams, the chief electrical technician on-board the Deepwater Horizon. He's an everyman with a wife and daughter who does whatever he can to save as many lives as he can when the rig blows. I've never seen Wahlberg play such an emotional role and I see him in a whole new light because of it. The supporting cast was great, though John Malkovich was a bit creepy with his bizarre Southern accent.

In Peter Berg's last movie, Lone Survivor, he paid tribute to the victims in the end credits, showing their pictures and names. He does the same at the end of this film, and once again it reminds audiences that this really happened. The victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion weren't just faceless cogs in the BP machine. They were people with families who died because executives wanted to drill as soon as possible and didn't care about any safety protocols. This film is equal parts intense and infuriating, because all of this could've easily been prevented. I'm glad this film is out there now simply because it will give people a better idea of what really happened on the day of the BP oil spill.