Deepwater Horizon

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Deepwater Horizon

PG-13

Released Sep 30, 2016

1h 47m

Mystery & Thriller

Action

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

265 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, igniting a massive fireball that kills several crew members. Chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) and his colleagues find themselves fighting for survival as the heat and the flames become stifling and overwhelming. Banding together, the co-workers must use their wits to make it out alive amid all the chaos.

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Critics Consensus

Deepwater Horizon makes effective use of its titular man-made disaster to deliver an uncommonly serious -- yet still suitably gripping -- action thriller.

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K. Austin Collins

The Ringer

[Deepwater] knows what it is: not a memorial or a political indictment, but merely a movie.

Aug 10, 2017

Full Review

Jason Bailey

Flavorwire

Clumsy exposition aside, the dialogue feels authentic, tossing around the shorthand and lingo of the job, and the script is precise on the details without getting overwhelmed by them.

Jan 17, 2017

Full Review

David Sims

The Atlantic

Viewers will leave with a fine sense of how it felt to be on that blazing rig, but they'll still have plenty of questions about how and why things went so wrong.

Oct 30, 2016

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Berg’s idea of social commentary is to shove the American flag into the frame at every opportunity.

Rated: 2.5/4

Apr 4, 2023

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

I’m an admitted disaster movie junkie, and many of them depend on some level of sensationalism. “Deepwater Horizon” keeps its focus on the 126 crew members aboard the rig on that horrible day.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 20, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

It boasts a fine cast and technical display; however, the experience is limited to its 99-minute runtime and considers none of the extensive issues that stemmed from the disaster.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 11, 2022

Full Review

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Alexa K

I really enjoyed this film, and it’s one that improved with repeat viewings as I kept noticing new small details each time. The dialogue and CGI are especially well done, creating a fully immersive experience as the disaster unfolds. As someone unfamiliar with deep-sea drilling, I appreciated how the script stayed natural yet informative. It was very fast paced, but I never felt completely lost. More like, a film with great momentum. I took off half a star after learning how much creative liberty the film took in some major scenes and with many characters. It feels strange to see real people depicted in events that never happened or with highly exaggerated or altered personalities, across both the BP and Transocean teams. Some films use symbolic characters to convey a dramatized emotional truth, which is a legitimate and respectful storytelling approach because it avoids misrepresenting real individuals, living or deceased. That might have been the better choice here.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

Full Review

CaptainBoulder T

Good movie that tells you what happened on the Deepwater Horizon

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

David D

Most of the engineering went over my head. However, as a recreation of what happened when the rig went up, the film did an incredible job of imaging what happened that night. A brilliantly told story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

Kyle G

Well executed disaster movie. Doesn't overstay its welcome.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Well casted and edge of your seat exciting.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/25

Full Review

Drew M

Very graphic imagery and really put this catastrophic event in better perspective. Mark Wahlberg did an amazing job.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

Full Review

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Peter Berg

Director

Mark Wahlberg

Mike Williams

Kurt Russell

Jimmy Harrell

Douglas M. Griffin

Landry

James DuMont

Patrick O'Bryan

Joe Chrest

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Synopsis

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes in the Gulf of Mexico, igniting a massive fireball that kills several crew members. Chief electronics technician Mike Williams (Mark Wahlberg) and his colleagues find themselves fighting for survival as the heat and the flames become stifling and overwhelming. Banding together, the co-workers must use their wits to make it out alive amid all the chaos.

Director: Peter Berg
Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Mark Vahradian, Stephen Levinson, David Womark, Mark Wahlberg
Screenwriter: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Leverage Entertainment, Participant Media, Di Bonaventura Pictures, Closest to the Hole, Warner Bros. Records, Lionsgate Television
Rating: PG-13 (Disturbing Images|Brief Strong Language|Intense Disaster Sequences)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Action, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 30, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 22, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.4M
Runtime: 1h 47m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, DTS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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