Sick Boy (Jeremiah Bitsui) is just a few days away from joining the Army; if he can stay out of trouble long enough to report for basic training. That's hard for him, because he's got a circle of friends always drawing him into bad situations. He's got a pregnant girlfriend and a sister to take care of, but he's also got a bad temper and an impulsive nature.
As a film in the disaster genre of movies, "Deepwater Horizon" is just okay. There is a ton of information the filmmakers have to communicate about how oil rigs work, what the danger is, and the safety tests that are being circumvented, etc. Berg's hands are probably tied by the facts but it doesn't make those involved any less heroic, though.
Drunktown's Finest
Deepwater Horizon
"Drunktown's Finest" is set in the fictional town of Dry Lake, New Mexico, which is pretty clearly a stand-in for Gallup, New Mexico. If you're familiar with Gallup, there'll be plenty of local landmarks you'll recognize. I saw a motel I stayed in once. Gallup/Dry Lake is right on the edge of the Navajo reservation and the movie is about three different Navajos who go back and forth between dominant culture in the city and Navajo culture on the reservation, each in different ways.
Sick Boy (Jeremiah Bitsui) is just a few days away from joining the Army; if he can stay out of trouble long enough to report for basic training. That's hard for him, because he's got a circle of friends always drawing him into bad situations. He's got a pregnant girlfriend and a sister to take care of, but he's also got a bad temper and an impulsive nature. Felixia (Carmen Moore), transgendered, enters a competition for a "Women of the Navajo" calendar. She has very traditional grandparents at home who love and accept her for who she is, but she hides her more unsavory activities from them. Nizhoni's (Morning Star Wilson) parents died in a car accident when she was young and, and she was adopted by white doctors. She's on her way to college, but yearns to reconnect with her family on the reservation, despite the discouragement of her adoptive parents.
It's pretty clear that director Sydney Freeland grew up in this kind of place, and is bringing her own life experience to the screen. "Drunktown's Finest" is well-observed, and its cultural specificity is its greatest strength. It's weaker at cinematic execution. Somehow, a movie that involves three intertwining stories and is only 90 minutes long still manages to drag in places. The performances are pretty uneven; Bitsui is the best and seems most at ease in front of the camera. Wilson broadcasts the most, as if she doesn't trust the camera to pick up on subtle emotion. And a lot of the supporting performances are stiff as a board. One bad performance is the fault of the actor; this many bad performances is the fault of the director. However, this is Freeland's first feature-length film; there's hope that she can learn more about cinematic technique as she keeps making movies. Her knowledge and insight into life as a Navajo is much rarer, and not something you can learn in film school.
Deep Water Horizon
If anyone is wondering why all those people are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, watching "Deepwater Horizon" might help them understand. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell and Gina Rodriguez, this film is about the oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that killed 11 people and spilled 210 million gallons of oil into the ocean.
The film focuses on the blue-collar oil workers on the rig, led by Russell. Like most work crews, they are seasoned by experience and know their machinery inside and out, but have to take orders from BP (British Petroleum) executives in suits who rarely even visit oil rigs. Those executives, led by John Malkovich (looking as soulless as ever) are more interested in turning a profit and staying on schedule than in safety and smart decisions. You make money in business by taking risks, but you take too many risks on a giant oil rig, and things go boom.
As a film in the disaster genre of movies, "Deepwater Horizon" is just okay. There is a ton of information the filmmakers have to communicate about how oil rigs work, what the danger is, the safety tests that are being circumvented, etc., and while director Peter Berg handles most of this deftly, it's like watching a ballerina with a backpack full of concrete try to dance-it's clear she's more graceful than you or I would be, but you can also see her starting to sweat. And then, when disaster does strike, it's plenty big and explosive, but also pretty straightforward. Things are on fire, people are trying to escape, and most of them do. There are a few noble sacrifices made. The best disaster movies involve impossible decisions and moments where characters' true colors are revealed, but there's none of that here. Berg's hands are probably tied by the facts; not all disasters can produce fascinating and dramatic stories, and it would be bizarre to expect them to. It doesn't make those involved any less heroic, though.
The Bible says "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" (First Timothy 6:10). "Deepwater Horizon" illustrates how a few men, in love with money, made bad decisions that cost the lives of eleven people, and did virtually immeasurable harm to creation. So when they tell you "our pipelines hardly ever break," you might think twice before you listen.
Willie Krischke lives in Durango, Colorado and works for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship with Native American students at Fort Lewis College. To read more of his reviews, go to http://www.gonnawatchit.com
