shakercoola Deepwater Horizon was the largest oil rig in the world and had been digging the deepest well in history beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The crew were shutting down the exploratory Macondo Well which potentially had a high yield of oil when disaster struck. Patrick Morgan, who was an assistant driller on the Deepwater Horizon rig, said of the movie before it was released: "I just don't want to see politics and political correctness and all that crap play into it." In the end, the movie rightly focused on the tragedy of the explosion and honouring the 11 men who lost their lives.Despite some cumbersome schmaltz early on, the film settles on the story, precisely documenting the stages of the disaster, and accompanied by a fast dialogue that, which feels authentic with tossed around shorthand and lingo. Tension rises with clever editing and with each step of mechanical failure. The film achieves hugely on a special effects level, but as with many real-life films, there are some inconsistencies in the factual telling which are worth noting. It was years of cutting corners, not one careless mistake, that caused the explosion. The villain of the piece, BP Executive Donald Vidrine, played by John Malkovich in a gumbo-thick Louisiana drawl, in reality was not to blame. Vidrine spoke by phone to a BP engineer in Houston with regard to the problematic 'negative test' which proved fatal. Government investigations concluded that it was his BP superiors in Houston who were largely giving the orders for the crew to get work completed on the well, which was 43 days behind schedule. BP's company man Vidrine certainly didn't expect that his decisions that day would lead to an inferno. The filmmakers could have found a better explanation for why intelligent people sometimes make such terrible decisions but this was an action movie with someone to blame. In spite of this, several oversights and missteps were made by BP, and Halliburton, an American multinational corporation, and the Swiss company Transocean. U.S. federal regulators who supervised drilling in the Gulf of Mexico signed off on Transoecean's plans at every stage, but this would not feature in the telling and neither would the fact that all oil rigs were not fit for purpose. The blowout preventer, which failed to stem the flow of oil when the wellhead erupted and is widely used throughout the industry, is likely to be declared not fit for purpose. All in all, an engrossing film and an affecting drama on human folly and obsession.

theresamgill Don't be confused: above all else, Deepwater Horizon is a disaster film. Unsuspecting characters mingle harmlessly and provide exposition about themselves and their surroundings to allow a second-half non-stop action fest. There are movies that follow the formula conventionally and do a good job at it, others do a poor job at it, and even some others try putting a twist on the formula. This film-for the most part-is successful. For a clear disaster film, what works the most is actually the beginning. It takes awhile for the action to start happening, so this means we have to care about the characters so that we're worried about their fates when death closes in in the second half. The writing is solid and engaging, Wahlberg has chemistry with everyone, and Kurt Russell brings the soul and spirit into the film. John Malkovich plays a rather conventional white collar antagonist, but needless to say, the buildup for the inevitable is really well done. If you've been living under a rock for the past decade, I'll quickly explain the point of this film. In 2010 an offshore oil rig exploded and resulted in the worst oil spill in U.S. history. This is the story of the workers on-board when it happened, and how pressure from executives to meet deadlines and cut costs ultimately led to the explosions that tragically killed and injured too many. The set for the film is basically the biggest ever used in a film, and it certainly adds to the film. There are plenty of shots of ordinary workers doing their job when mud and oil rumbles and rumbles until it finally blows. And it's presented without holding back. This is a very strong PG-13 film as you watch workers blown back, saved by their helmets; they desperately try containing the oil that blocks their vision and slips them up. I'm simplifying the action and don't want to describe everything that goes on, but trust me when I say that this film is engaging from start to finish. The climax was predictable, and therefore lacked some tension, but your heart will race as you root for the characters you spent the first half of the film getting to know. The movie won't revolutionize anything, but that doesn't have to stop it from being a solid film. It's a disaster film you will enjoy watching, only amplified by the well-known fallout that took place afterward. It's a testament to tell the story of real people in an unbelievably traumatizing situation, and for executing it with confidence and poise, I applaud the filmmakers and their efforts. You can find this review and dozens of others at gillipediamoviereviews.blogspot.com

entry-635-21337 Just getting into a 2.5 hour C-SPAN testimony of Mr Jimmy, Wow major differences from reality and the movie. Major major divergence. This movie is fiction in so many ways. Really loved the movie. Wish is had more attachment to reality.

kareemmesbah spoilersstarting with a good dramatic building with a happy husband who loves his wife travelling to the rig for 3 weeks which leads to technical talks and artificial argument which ends in an explosion with trials to turn the actor into a real hero >>ends :)i rated 4 just because i like the offshore life