A film on the BP oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, released earlier this month got a thumbs up from a majority of its viewers.
In 2010 the Deepwater Horizon oil rig malfunctioned, leaking tremendous amounts of oil and gas onto the ocean floor. BP chose to plot the rig in the deep sea. The deep sea is the deepest pit of the ocean, located at about 5,000 feet beneath the water’s surface. This is a highly pressurized area.
When Transocean (owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig) completed the pressure test, the results were negative; BP decided to proceed drilling anyway. This caused the biggest oil spill in world history.
The spill originated in the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 42 miles off the coast of Louisiana. An estimated 3.19 million barrels of oil over the course of 87 days were leaked into the ocean. 11 of 126 workers were killed in the explosion.
Mark Wahlberg, Dylan O’Brien, K urt Russel, John Malkovich, Kate Hudson and Gina Rodriguez were some of the big names cast in the recreation of this tragedy.
Mark Wahlberg played Mike Williams, Chief Electronics Technician employed by Transocean. Peter Debruge of Variety comments, “Both Wahlberg’s performance and Berg’s overall approach are fully committed to keeping things plausible,” meaning Wahlberg’s performance was factual and an accurate portrayal of Williams.
Scott Chitwood on ComingSoon.net was, “shocked at how perfectly Peter Berg and his crew portrayed this world.” Berg, director of Deepwater Horizon, creates a real life feel from seemingly uneventful parts of the movie. Directors must create a natural feel to the movie with accuracies of setting and wardrobe. The plane ride, uniforms, safety equipment and lay out were extremely life-like. Berg’s attention to detail proves successful in the portrayal of the oil spill.
The movie not only teaches us about history, but there are lessons to be learned as well. For one, cutting corners never turns out well. When BP knowingly sacrificed technical expertise and careful thought for the sake of money and time, the outcome was disastrous. This translates into every profession. When a company lies or schemes innocent people can be put in harm’s way. This can be seen as a warning to all.