“Deepwater Horizon” is an incredibly realistic film about the infamous incident surrounding a BP oil rig in 2010. Prior to the actual catastrophe, the film seems slow and mundane but that’s what helps it create such an authentic feel.

In “Deepwater Horizon”, a group of workers on an oil rig are pressured by BP employees to carry out exploratory drilling but due to cost-cutting, when problems occur, it ends up resulting in the worst oil spill in American history. The oil rig workers must fight for their lives in order to escape the rig, which is now engulfed in flames.

Mark Wahlberg (“Lone Survivor”, “Three Kings”) plays a worker named Mike Williams and is totally believable and you want to see him return home safely to his family. Kurt Russell (“Stargate”, “Soldier”) plays Jimmy Harrell, who is in charge of the oil rig, and he does a great job. The best role is reserved for John Malkovich (“Burn After Reading”), who plays the BP employee. One aspect of the film that I dislike is that Malkovich’s character makes sure he gets in a reference to his ‘employers in London’ as even though BP is an American company, many still believe it is British and anti-British sentiment in America increased during the real-life disaster in 2010 due to the misinformation about the company’s ownership.

“Deepwater Horizon” looks fantastic during the explosive final act where the oil rig is crumbling and it greatly contrasts the earlier parts of the film that were very slow. If you want an exciting blockbuster then maybe this isn’t the film for you (even considering that this film probably contains more explosions than Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies) but if you want a film that realistically depicts a real-life disaster then “Deepwater Horizon” is certainly going to meet your demands.