Too technical, too messy, and arguably too glorified

Rating: 6/10 (2 March 2017)

Here we go again, Deepwater Horizon is a film that claims to be based on true events. Indeed, there was an oil rig by such name that made a huge mess in the Gulf of Mexico. The question is, how close this film stays true to what really happened there on April 20, 2010.
Because if we judge this film by its cinematographic merit only, then it could easily be described with a concise formula: a catastrophe flick, brutal but generic. The typical build-up, with lots of banter, friendly and not so much, and a ton of techie jargon you'll hardly understand even if you could pause every now and then and look up every word. And then the typical climax, when the hell breaks loose and everyone gets their chance to reveal themselves and to be either @ssholes or heroes. And the typical finale, grim but happy, with the survivors hugging their wives and kids and exchanging those meaningful looks.
If that was the first disaster movie I had seen, well, I'd probably feel absolutely satisfied. Because the disaster part of Deepwater Horizon, finally devoid of the mumbo jumbo talks and turned into a big quest of survival in a burning hell above water, is definitely gripping enough, thanks to the solid performance of Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell, and the impressive visuals. However, I've seen such films before, both dramatic and ridiculous, so I'm bound to wonder whether Deepwater Horizon is able to bring something new onto the table.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Last year we've seen another catastrophe film based on a real story, Sully. Well, it was not a typical catastrophe indeed, more like a catastrophe turned miracle. Still, it was a demonstration of a different approach to telling the stories of such events. And while Sully was definitely less dynamic and much more political, it was at least original. And that is the quality Deepwater Horizon isn't really able to boast.
If only we could only know how much of this film is fiction and how much is based on reality indeed. Because if the filmmakers had shot Deepwater Horizon strictly in accordance with the real events, then all that purely American heroism and even the techie talks would've felt... different. That way we'd actually be able to assess the scale of stupidity and greed of the people who let that disaster happen, and the scale of heroism and sacrifice of those who were doing their best to avert that disaster, and, when the worst finally happened, were risking their lives to save those of their fellow men. That would've been a true feat deserving every praise possible. But I know Hollywood. And, while I'd like to believe that some of the exemplary behavior shown in this movie did take place that day, I'm more inclined to think that Deepwater Horizon is just a rough outline of the true story, and all those inspiring and noble actions done by Wahlberg and Co are there just for the show.