"BP, you suck!" Mark Wahlberg plays electrician Mike Williams in Peter Berg's real life disaster movie that subtly delivers this message, whilst showing us just how destructive the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion was.

Deepwater Horizon was an off-shore drilling oil rig 40 miles from the coast of Louisiana which exploded in 2010, leading to the worst oil spill in US history and the loss of 11 lives. Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg have teamed up again (after 2013's Lone Survivor) for a dramatic, action film retelling of the disaster. The result is a carefully and sensitively told story, and a reminder for generations to come.

The film picks Wahlberg's character Mike to centre around, introducing his family, and telling the story largely from his perspective. What comes across pretty well is that this is just an ordinary guy heading into a normal 21 days at work on board the Deepwater Horizon. Of course, we know everything that's about to happen, but it builds unassumingly. There are two clearly separated acts, the first being the set-up which is a less compelling watch as they set the story at a slow but steady pace. For the non-experts in oil drilling, they even slide in a show-and-tell that even children can understand. In this act, the only fast-paced thing is the characters speeding through technical terminology, a) to prove that the film's done its research, and b) to confuse us. I'm not even going to try and explain; there's Wikipedia if you need it. If you can keep up, and recite what they say, then well done to you. There are sub-ocean shots throughout that add a little visual understanding too. One thing we can gain from this section is how early warnings and concerns were not followed through, a reason being that the project was already running late, and #moneymoneymoney. The general focus lies on the scenario and developing the lead-up to the oil disaster, and less on the characters' backgrounds, though there's a bit for Gina Rodriguez's character that adds to a more emotional scene later on in the film.

Then all hell breaks loose. (There's fire and an angry monster so it's closer to the saying than you realise.) If you remember what happened, you'll know it was something due to the pressure under the ocean, but that it resulted in a devastating explosion and subsequent fire. CGI has done a great job here, as there's fire everywhere. Things falling and collapsing, glass shattering, chaos on every inch of the Horizon. And the thing is, the whole time we know this is coming, but it's still such a shock just how large scale it all was. I have to admit I wasn't too clued up at the actual time of events in 2010 (also why this film is so good at playing the informer), but I'm told it's quite an accurate portrayal. There's so much catastrophic destruction it's hard to tell who is who, or what they're even shouting. All you can see is fire and people fighting for their lives.


The hand-held cameras make it feel much more real, but deliberately shaky. Warning: You may get motion sickness! Sometimes it's held so close to their faces that you can see every drop of sweat, and it's even more impactful in IMAX. The panic is captured exceptionally well in the second half, but it is deliberately not overdone.

Deepwater Horizon may hero Mark Wahlberg in all the posters and trailers, and the real life survivor Mike Williams was incredibly heroic, but it manages not to make it a cheesy Hollywood retelling where the leading man emerges from the flames, slow motion through the smoke. Instead, we get to see other characters such as Kurt Russell's Mr Jimmy, one of the drilling company's seniors, who puts on a strong and reliable performance as he struggles with the BP staff members. Corporate greed and shortcuts are amplified through these staff members, with John Malkovic's Donald Vidrine nearly portrayed as the villain. He gave me chills as he spoke and spat, which means he must've played the character well. Kate Hudson and Dylan O'Brien play supporting roles, with Hudson actually appearing on-screen for the first time with her father Russell. Much like many disasters away from home, Hudson provides the on-shore perspective, fueling some of the familial emotion and shock. Completing the main cast billing is a feisty but delicate Gina Rodriguez who plays one of the Transocean crew members.

The film helps people to understand what a disaster it was, and also praises how people dealt with it. With destruction that destructive, many more lives could have been lost. It avoids being overly cheesy in its aftermath, with a powerful emphasis on terrible shock. With the focus away from the characters, it's delicately emotional in some places (but feels more factual) yet not a sobfest. And one of the main things to remember is how this is not just a natural 'monster' under the sea, but mainly human error with the gravest consequences.

The fact that this is a true story hammers home all the issues, particularly when it occurred so recently. It's easy to indulge in the disaster movie genre under the pretense that such a thing would never happen. It's different when this is real life history. It is an informative movie, one that highlights things we didn't even realise were going on. Through the human touch, and a well put together nearly-2-hours of screen time, we have a brave account that shines light and depth on what happened and pays tribute to the people on board. The credits roll following an emotional dedication to those who lost their lives, a reminder that selfish ignorant greed can have a much bigger impact.