Intense and moving

Rating: 9/10 (9 October 2016)

Deepwater Horizon is based on true events- the explosion of an oil rig in 2010, which created the worst oil spill in US history. The first act of the film is rather character driven and explores the life of Mark Williams, played by Mark Wahlberg. He does a great job in the role and as usual puts in a great performance. Other actors include John Malkovich and Kurt Russell who also do well with the solid script, which relies largely on banter in the opening part, and the film can be funny despite the sensitive topic. As the film continues, you know what's coming and the way tension is built though mechanical shots of the inner workings of the rig are clever, as this builds the tension.
The actual explosion is the rig is incredibly intense, and the film is gripping all the way through. Even though most know the story, Deepwater Horizon never lost my interest and this is credit to the director Peter Berg, who showed his action style with the also gripping Lone Survivor. The action was largely not done through CGI and therefore looks very realistic and this is crucial for a personal film such as this. The aftermath and closing section of the film is very moving- after the high tension of the explosion, the personal tragedy caused by the event comes to the fore here and makes for a terrific ending and tribute to those who lost there lives. The soundtrack is touching here, and this is no surprise with the excellent Steve Jabolonsky on scoring duties.
The film's only fault is there is little development of most characters and they rather get lost behind the weight of the story, apart in this case from Wahlberg's character. Overall, Deepwater Horizon is a intense and moving tribute to those who lost their lives in this tragic event, and it's personal touch is clear which makes for an excellent film.