A high-quality Hollywood disaster flick

Rating: 7/10 (12 July 2017)

DEEPWATER HORIZON is a Hollywood disaster flick based on a true story and filmed in the same gritty, hand-held style as something like UNITED 93 or CAPTAIN PHILLIPS; in other words, Paul Greengrass is a big influence. The film is gripping and engaging, cleverly building the tension early on with hints at what could go wrong and involving the viewer in some surprisingly realistic interplay between the characters.
The worst thing about this film is the extraneous sub-plot involving Kate Hudson's at-home wife. She adds nothing to the story whatsoever, only serving to drag it down and spoil the pace at times. This leads to the film's opening sequence, which is literally the worst part of it, totally boring and without merit. The story should just have started with Mark Wahlberg arriving on the oil rig for work. Still, things only get better, and when the disaster occurs in the second half this is thrilling stuff indeed, hard-edged and complemented by strong CGI effects. Wahlberg is fine, but I found Kurt Russell to be the heart and soul of the piece. DEEPWATER HORIZON is miles ahead of rival fare like 2012 and SAN ANDREAS in terms of quality.