Deepwater Horizon

A straightforward script turned into a well-crafted catastrophic hell with some clichés, but an emotionally dignified, impressive ending. For me, this was the first disaster movie so intense that I don’t want to watch it again for the pleasure of quality filmmaking. As usual, Mark Wahlberg works well as the “suburban folk hero”, and Kurt Russell as the responsible boss of the group of young workers gives the movie’s best performance. And John Malkovich was in it for the money. I’d have preferred to see someone else, even a less famous actor, in his role of the unscrupulous businessman. (29/09/2016)

The weakest Berg. The first hour is literally an ordeal to watch, I was flipping from side to side in boredom. A very unappealing plot that didn't interest me at all. Once something starts happening there is some decent action, but after 20 minutes it fizzles out again as the pathos sets in and boredom sets in again. No emotion, not very engaging, for me very dysfunctional and cold. Finished with problems. 50% (30/12/2016)

Awesome spectacle. The opening 20-minute handheld camera shot, which looks like a semi-documentary about blokes on oil rigs, is perhaps even cooler than the occasionally slightly stereotypical and frenetically edited banging and destroying everything possible and impossible. Kurt Russel and Mark Wahlberg are both top-notch, in roles that fit them perfectly, so almost everyone will be rooting for them. A minimum of pathos and a decent portion of unadulterated emotions speak for Berg. I think this is a decent tribute to another catastrophe that affected millions of people. It’s not as precisely documentary-like as United 93 for instance, but it’s not nearly as pathetic as the likes of World Trade Center. (02/10/2016)

A catastrophic inferno that looks great. Peter Berg combined sweet sweeping camerawork and breathtaking explosions with a dignified memorial to the worker or his superiors who got killed or maimed for money, money, money. Criticism of contemporary corporate thinking isn’t really the crux of this movie, but, as we find out in the end, Malkovich is just the type of slippery bastard who is guilty on all counts, but who get away Scott-free. Carnahan’s targeted screenplay that concentrates on facts, Berg gives us the occasional visual gem: for instance, the shot of the American flag with the burning oil rig in the background, or the shot of Kate Hudson’s butt in panties (just hugging daddy Kurt), but the finale is a homage to all experts. Engineers, maintenance men, foremen, bosses who got their job on the basis of their experience and not from sitting on their asses. A very good job. I’m content. (06/10/2016)

The working class has never been as poignant and likeable as performed by Mark Wahlberg and Kurt Russell, and I'm almost sorry that the final photos of the bloated Texas rednecks break this illusion. Marxist jokes aside - Berg gives the performance of his life, when especially the first half of his smooth flow of dialogues, editing and manual filming goes by incredibly quickly. The ensuing fiery inferno is marked by disorientation in the frantic cadence of cuts and details (this could never happen to Paul Greengrass), but it is still a warm enough spectacle to enjoy the final collapse of an ordinary person (after Captain Philips, apparently a new mandatory character of civil disasters). DH is an ode to the common sense of ordinary people and a captivating spectacle, where Mark tames dinosaurs from the depths and Kurt fat eruptions from British Petrol. In my opinion, good, pure entertainment with clear limits. (30/09/2016)