One of the largest manmade disasters in U.S history is told in this remarkable story directed by Peter Berg. In “Deepwater Horizon”, we flash back to April 20th, 2010, when one fateful day would change the lives of the men and women on board the oil ship known as Deepwater Horizon, headed to the Gulf of Mexico. Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) is an everyday man, working a very dangerous job to support his beautiful wife Felicia (Kate Hudson) and their Six year old daughter. Little does Mike know that his day has only begun, as a typical work day turns into a fight for survival when a major oil spill poisons the air for the cast and crew aboard the ship. With precious little time to evacuate the ship, Mike and a group of co-workers act as fast as they can to stop the flood, and contain the damage to as few lives lost as possible. The movie also stars Kurt Russell, Ethan Suplee, and John Malkovich. It is rated PG-13 for intense disaster sequences, disturbing imagery, and brief strong language.

Peter Berg has a passion for directing these real life tragedies that bring out the best in the American spirit. Most recently, he crafted the suspenseful gem “Lone Survivor”, and his next film will cover the Boston Bombing of 2014, in “Patriots Day”. Berg has his hits and misses over a storied multi-decade career, but “Deepwater Horizon” may be his single greatest acheivement to date. With his finger gripped tightly onto the atmospheric tension button, Berg presents one of the truly horrific and gripping events in recent U.S history, and his attention to such a project reveals what many firmly know about him; that he may be the most patriotic director working today. What Peter does exceptionally well here is plant us firmly in the middle of a war between isolation and claustrophobia, and as a result, pushes for the audience to be front and center in the middle of the ensuing madness that develops step-by-step. The idea of presenting these events that leads to the big explosion would take too much time out of the 100 minute script from any lesser of a director, but Berg plants this idea importantly between human characters that gives this a natural spin of authenticity.

This movie’s greatest strength is that everything is presented as a real story, but even with that thought process, the audience will still realize this is a movie. So what does Berg do to supress this handicap? He shoots it in real time. I very seldom get the chance to rave about handheld camera direction, but in “Deepwater Horizon” it feels necessary to shoot everything from a revolving stance. This puts the audience among the rest of the cast, battling against the conformity of a small ship that seems to get smaller the more damage it takes on. Berg casts us as perhaps his most important member of the crew, and with such an up close look, we view everything unfold from space-to-space, and even some things we never thought we would. The idea to shoot some computer generated scenes from within the pipes feel like something that could throw off the smooth flow in artistic expression, but their grainy capability ushers in a solid backdrop for what happens next. This helps to explain some of the rig talk that many like myself aren’t fully capable of grasping, having never been on an oil rig in my life. The editing is a bit choppy at times, especially during the third act when it’s difficult to focus on anything that is transpiring on screen. I understand that so much is happening quickly, but I found myself regretting the fact that I couldn’t stop and enjoy some of these breathtaking visuals for just a second longer.

The movie offers the bare minimum as far as character exposition goes, with the exception of Wahlberg, as well as a female member of the crew (Played by Gina Rodriguez), but it never feels like it suffers because of their anonymity. Instead, screenwriter Matthew Carnahan allows his cast to shine in their most natural of elements; their personalities. The first act of this movie is made up entirely of this concept, and as a result we get some real naturally charming personalities brought to light. I felt very encased within this male dominated ship, almost to the point that I knew them for years. When you really think about it, this crew spends three weeks at a time together, so that unity in chemistry plays hand-in-hand with an ideal that this is a second family for all of them. This communicates effortlessly to the audience that bond that they share of being cast away miles from where their daily lives remain on pause. My only slight problem with this concept is the movie abandons some of them when the tragedy begins. A few members of this crew did in fact meet their final minutes, and sadly the movie isn’t as concerned with their last breaths. Is it important? I think so because it would add another unsettling layer of unpredictability within this already tension-filled juggernaut.

The acting is exceptional in every way, from an A-list cast that really fires on every cylinder. Kurt Russell proves that he still commands the attention in every movie, with a somber delivery of Mr Jimmy that radiates one of Hollywood’s most decadent leading men. The tension in dialogue between he and the movie’s antagonist (Played by Malkovich) is some of the most enjoyable exchanges in the movie, and it’s really a satisfying viewing to watch two screen masters play against one another. Malkovich himself relishes in the kind of role to really make your stomach turn. His character is a business-head of BP, the company who took financial blame for the tragedy that revolved around these events, and by now John can do this in his sleep. There’s nothing overbearing or obvious about his deliveries, and instead Berg decides that a business approach is the perfect antagonist to play against the many lives on board. Sometimes it simply does just come down to money, and Malkovich’s inspirations center on such a greed. By far and away the best performance of the film comes from Berg’s favorite leading man: Mark Wahlberg. As Williams, Wahlberg gives a performance for the ages. Mark’s everyman approach feels relatable to the heartstrings of moviegoers who this story aims at, but his delivery in the final minutes of the movie will be played on a best of actors reel at this year’s Oscars. Mark himself might not be nominated, but his performance here sent shivers down my skin, for a man who is subtly getting better with age. My favorite aspect of his character is what happens psychologically when he starts seeing everything with eyes wide open. His fight to get back to the wife and kid he loves will have you reeling in somber, tear-flowing, agony.

Overall, “Deepwater Horizon” tiptoes a fine line of satisfyingly pulse-setting tension that consistently floats. A warning against corporate greed in the least of ways, but a gut-wrenching cinematic firework at most. Led by against-type enjoyable performances for the disaster genre, Peter Berg values this American history lesson that serves as a more-than worthy tribute to the fallen.

8/10