This is not a full review but I just wanted to highly recommend this harrowing (truly) and infuriating film. It is so well-done, especially in terms of the special effects, which are so gritty and realistic that never once you doubt that you are watching a very human tragedy, as well as an event gigantically important, something that affected an entire environment, the livelihoods of those in the Gulf Coast, AND the families of the men who lost their lives that day. It does not approach the special effects like “Oooh, cool, look how REAL this inferno looks” which would be insulting to the people who actually survived it. It looks as horrifying as it must have been on that day, it puts you ON that rig, and it is tragic and terrifying. Total chaos. Brutal and relentless. Never once do you forget that there were actual human beings on board that rig, people who went through a Dante’s Inferno experience. Many of them still have debilitating PTSD. (The Great Invisible, a documentary about the Deepwater Horizon, is excellent on the personal fallout, economic and emotional. My review here.)
Deepwater Horizon is a very very good film, and worth it to see it in the theatre. I came out truly shaken.
I had this one pegged as nothing more than a special effects show of things blowing up for most of the movie and had no interest, but I tend to trust your taste on most of these things, so, maybe I’ll get to it….
Thank you Sheila for recommending this. It was a fantastic film. As you say, it puts you on the rig, in the chaos – I was on the edge of my seat, hands up gripping my head, physical reactions. The question that starts the film – why was there no general alarm – is left hanging at the end. It has involved me enough that I need more answers. The note in the credits sent me to the New York Times article as soon as I got home and from there I’m picking through the National Commission report. And as always I was struck by the bravery of people who knowingly head into danger to do what they can to help.
Surprisingly good. Glad you mentioned it. One thing they did well was to portray real people in life threatening situations, and being truly scared out of their wits. We get used to movies that show people in dangerous situations remaining cool and calm and tossing out some clever quip, while this conveys just how terrifying this sort of thing can be.