Dark Waters review by Bobby Blakey
I love movies that focus on true life events, but more often than not they end up pissing you off. This rage is the exact reason these films need to be made to get a wider reach of the story that some may not know about but truly needs too. The latest, Dark Waters is one such story and stars Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, Victor Garber, William Jackson Harper and Bill Camp, but does it pack the punch to show the impact of this controversy or will it fail to stick?
Dark Waters follows a corporate defense attorney takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. As I mentioned previously this is the kind of movie that will anger you to no end. The story is slow, but never strays from the importance to what they are dealing with and its pacing is a necessity. There is so much to digest in this story from the elements you may already know regarding this scandal to the stuff you might have missed. I knew of it, but seeing it played out and the facts to the far reaching effects was mind boggling.
Ruffalo is great here playing up the everyman attorney who just wants to do the right thing when this falls in his lap, but can never seem to catch a break. It is interesting watching the story unfold in both revelations to what occurred, but also his own eye opening attention once he discovers the truths. Everyone is great here, but it’s Ruffalo that carries the film to perfection. Hathaway plays the role of his wife which is usually the silent supporting type in these films, but here she is given a voice that plays some important moments to the overall narrative.
Anytime you deal with lawyers you expect the sleazy boss type which is what it appeared Tim Robbins characters was going to be, but as it moved forward it was
refreshing to see how this this guy responded to the case and situations. The other thing I loved was it was more about the building the case and finding the evidence than trying to score the big courtroom speech. This made you feel the realism of it all and seeing the time frame this goes through is infuriating not to mention the facts at the end of the movie.
This is a slow paced but important film that worked for me on every level. I left with not only enjoying the film as a piece of cinema, but also angry at the situation and outcomes and how it affects us all. This will likely be one of those that gets lost with all the bigger budget or more franchise like features, but one that should not be missed.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including featurettes that take you behind the truth to bring this story and film to life. Join the case and grab your copy of Dark Waters available now on digital and then on Blu-ray and DVD on March 3rd from Universal Home Entertainment.