Director Peter Berg’s approach to the real-life oil rig disaster is about as sober as it is possible to be in a movie that gets its rocks off by blowing stuff up. Mark Wahlberg, reuniting with Berg after the effective army picture Lone Survivor, is on fine form as everyman hero Mike Williams; John Malkovich tackles the antagonist role of a cynical BP company man with a lip-smacking relish. The visual effects are solid, but the sound design is where tension builds – we become so accustomed to the constant creak and crack of tortured metal that a moment of silence fills us with dread. What’s most impressive is the fact that the screenplay refuses to talk down to the audience. The men and women on the rig talk pretty much as they would, with no handy translation for our benefit. It’s the most gripping discussion of cement integrity since Locke.
