Efficient, well handled but not completely satisfactory dramatisation

Rating: 7/10 (7 June 2017)

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning
In April 2010, on the titular oil rig off the coast of Mexico, the worst oil disaster in US history occurred, that cost seven lives and had enormous environmental and sociological repercussions for months afterwards. Peter Berg's film follows the story of Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg), an oil worker whose job has estranged him from his wife Felicia (Kate Hudson) and young daughter. He and site inspector Jimmy Harrell (Kurt Russell) raise concerns about the lack of training of the crew, and the inadequacy of the safety checks, but BP crony Vidrine (John Malkovich) insists the job goes ahead, leading to the cataclysmic disaster which they are lucky to escape from alive.
Before this year's second Mark Wahlberg/Peter Berg true life tragedy drama Patriot's Day, they had made this account of a major disaster that occurred at the start of the decade, but still rings a solemn chord in the hearts of many today. Like the aforementioned film, it provides plenty of meat on the bones in terms of potential for making a film, a story of gross corporate negligence and blue collar sacrifice that was begging to be told. Whether it's been made by the most competent crew is for the individual to decide, but it's certainly got an all star cast at its dispersal to cover plenty of ground.
Berg certainly succeeds in building up plenty of tension and anticipation of the main event, establishing some believable, accurate depictions of everyday, blue collar rig workers going about their normal business, slinging their normal slang/banter and venting their usual spleens. And when the big explosion does arrive, it still takes its time before enveloping into the big, earth shattering spectacle that it is even if, like Titanic, it's bad taste to think 'wow' about it, since it's a reflection of a real life tragedy. In spite of this, the characters themselves do feel a bit Hollywood stereotype, especially Wahlberg's impeccably selfless hero. It would also have gained a bit more dynamism if it had shown some of the aftermath of the tragedy, in the shape of the courtroom dynamics between the BP executives and the aggrieved workers/families. This would arguably have made for a more interesting film all in itself.
It seems as if Berg/Wahlberg may want to make a franchise out of these dramatisations of real life disasters/heroism. He's not really the best director for it and he's not really the best actor for it, but their ambition to shine a light on the plight of the downtrodden victims is still admirable, and this is still an efficient and well handled effort. ***