Review: Dark Waters

I knew the true story going into this film after seeing a documentary from 2018 called The Devil We Know, which was perfectly fine in its execution.

But I knew there was more to this story that needed to be told. So I was hoping this would do it. With Todd Haynes directing this, I was certainly up for this.

Haynes who also did Velvet Goldmine, Carol and Wonderstruck and a few others has always had an immaculate touch in the pacing and editing of his films. I've always admired his work as I can always feel his dedication to his works in all of his films.

This ended up being as impactful as it could have been, and I'm glad it was. Hayes' vintage methodical pacing makes the shock value gradually creep up on you. It also gives you time to work out what is happening underneath the surface of this film and to get that sense of what this leading character is having to do to succeed.

Speaking of the leading character, that is played by Mark Ruffalo. He wonderfully portrays a determined man helping the little guys and girls against one of the worlds biggest corporations that are aiming on completely breaking him in every way possible. His performance will instantly remind you about how good he was in Spotlight a few years ago. You can really his drive as well as his pain and anguish.
Anne Hathaway has solid support with Ruffalo, and gave the story great family value to it. Bill Camp was a nice surprise and was a crucial addition to basically representation the suffering town folk.
From the corporate side of the story, Tim Robbins, Victor Garber and Bill Pullman all were as good as you would expect in their minor roles.

My only negative, is purely personal. While I do enjoy Haynes' films, the pacing can get too slow for me and Dark Waters had this in small portions.

While it also may suffer in re-watchability, this is a wonderfully made legal thriller about an extraordinary true story. It's hard to call this enjoyable and entertaining, as it is such a shocking and heartbreaking story. But it is most definitely gripping, eye-opening and executed in the right way to make it as accessible to the largest possible audience.

In another year or in a parallel universe, I honestly feel it could easily be an Oscar contender. It didn't seem to fit bracket of 2019 awards films for some reason. But nevertheless, this is a must-see.

Rating: 8/10