A "David versus Goliath" Story

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2006)

One woman took on a corporate giant, and won. This is her story...
The people in the small town of Hinkley in California suffered more than their share of serious illnesses, including cancer. Near the town was a plant owned by a Californian utility company. This film traces the link between the running of the plant and the local people who became sick, and is based on a true story.
Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts in an award-winning performance) worked as a filing clerk in a small legal firm and she was the one who initially suspected something was wrong. She made many visits to Hinkley and interviewed the people there. And she found out about the toxic chemical Chromium 6, used at the plant as a rust inhibitor, which had leached into the groundwater.
The story which unfolds has a mix of investigation, cover-up, and intrigue. And in the end crucial company documents, thought shredded, appear. The company eventually paid a $333 million settlement to the affected people in Hinkley.
Part of what made all of this so extraordinary was that Erin was not a lawyer and had very limited legal experience. She was also a single mother with three young children.
Another film which is about industrial pollution causing water supply contamination is A Civil Action (1998).