No-frills heroes

Deepwater Horizon is like the offshore oil rig it’s named after: You have to drill through some dense, boggy, engineering terminology before you strike black gold. Here, “gold” is the knuckle-biting, spectacular scenes detailing how an oil rig called Deepwater Horizon erupted into a spigot of fire, grease, and mud on April 20, 2010—and became one of the worst ecological catastrophes in U.S. history.

The film’s message isn’t hard to figure out: The villains are the corner-cutting, result-driven BP corporate suits, and the heroes are the blue-collar crew who tried and failed to enforce better safety measures before drilling.

Some pre-movie research might be helpful in keeping up with the techie dialogue, a good chunk loaded with terms such as “cementing” and “kill line” and “BOP” that the film doesn’t explain. Not to worry: We the viewers are supposed to feel constantly overwhelmed and disoriented. It helps us better appreciate the complications of running a massive, supposedly safe oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. When all hell breaks loose, we share the confusion of crew members as they scramble amid shooting shrapnel, firebombs, and gushing, combustible liquids. And when ordinary men such as chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) and crew captain Mr. Jimmy (Kurt Russell) calmly step up to lead and save more lives, we better recognize the depths of their bravery, self-control, and self-sacrifice.

The numerous explosion scenes in Deepwater Horizon (rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and strong language) are stunning, but more powerful and unforgettable are the minor moments: grease-streaked crew members bantering like college buddies, a post-disaster Williams finally unhinging into sobs in his hotel room, survivors kneeling shoulder-to-shoulder to recite the Lord’s Prayer over the 11 fallen men. While the film unequivocally lays blame on corporate greed, it made the good choice to focus on everyman characters whose heroism shines through split-second decisions. Greedy men we see all the time, but relatable, no-frills heroes? They’re worth a movie tribute.