Dark Waters (2019) Review

"They have all the money, all the firepower, and they'll use it.  I know, I was one of them."

-Robert Bilott

Based on true events, Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), a corporate defense attorney, is approached by a farmer who's land is next to a landfill owned by DuPont, a chemical company.  The farmer, Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), claims that DuPont is dumping chemicals where they are not permitted.  Robert starts looking into DuPont and discovers something far more sinister than he could have imagined.

What Works:

Mark Ruffalo is very solid in the role and is a great vessel for the audience.  You feel his rage and hopelessness as he uncovers the awful truth.  Watching him confront the CEO of DuPont is very satisfying and he really makes you feel how crushing each setback is.

Tim Robbins has the best moment of the entire movie and it comes out of nowhere.  Robbins plays Robert's boss and for the first chunk of the movie, he is exactly what you'd expect.  He's very reluctant to let Robert pursue this case and wants him to stop.  Eventually, when Robert presents his findings to the other partners, Robbins is the one who comes to his defense.  He gives a very angry speech and says exactly what we were all thinking.  It's a real "f**k yeah!" moment.

Dark Waters has a great montage sequence where Robert spills the beans to his wife, his boss, and his contact at DuPont.  It's a very disturbing reveal that made me do some serious research after watching the movie.  It's an effectively done sequence that covers a lot of ground from a narrative and an emotional perspective.

Finally, I want to give props to the filmmakers for telling this story.  I had never heard of these cases and I don't think a ton of people have.  This is something that effects all of us and I really hope a lot of people see this film.  What DuPont did is beyond messed up and people need to know.

What Sucks:

This movie has a lot of ground to cover.  This is a big story that takes place over more than a decade.  There's a lot going on and some of the subject manner is quite complex.  I recognize that it's tough to get everything in there, but there are a few places where the narrative would have benefited from a few more scenes of explanation.  They story jumps around a lot.  I always say movies should be as long as they need to be and this movie needed to be longer.

Finally, Dark Waters is extremely similar to one of my favorite films, Spotlight.  Both feature Mark Ruffalo uncovering a disturbing conspiracy.  I do think Spotlight is the superior film because it had a stronger ensemble cast and a story that was more emotionally investing.

Verdict:

Dark Waters is a solid legal thriller that is guaranteed to make you angry.  Ruffalo and Robbins are great and the story is incredibly important.  It should have been longer and it isn't as good as Spotlight, but it has absolutely got it going on.

 8/10: Really Good