SummaryOn April 20th, 2010, the world’s largest man-made disaster occurred on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. This film honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever.
Directed By:Peter Berg
Written By:Matthew Michael Carnahan, Matthew Sand, David Barstow, David Rohde, Stephanie Saul
Deepwater Horizon
Metascore
Generally Favorable
68
User score
Generally Favorable
7.3
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
75% Positive
39 Reviews
39 Reviews
23% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
2% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Sep 29, 2016
88
This is very much an ensemble film, with Wahlberg, Hudson and Russell turning in performances that get the job done without begging for attention.
Sep 28, 2016
80
It's an impressive achievement, and even Berg's taste for the obvious — like shots of Old Glory, still waving through the worst of it — can't overwhelm the humanity behind the drama. Real people, real danger — and real self-sacrifice.
User score
Generally Favorable
78% Positive
246 Ratings
246 Ratings
17% Mixed
52 Ratings
52 Ratings
5% Negative
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
Jan 29, 2026
10
Deepwater Horizon uses its real-life foundation to create a suffocating and relentlessly tense experience. The film visualizes discomfort through claustrophobic environments, disorienting camera angles, and aggressive sound design that constantly denies the viewer any sense of safety. The drilling and underwater sequences build slow, stomach-turning dread long before disaster strikes. John Malkovich delivers a particularly effective performance, embodying corporate arrogance without slipping into caricature. Even moments away from the rig remain emotionally charged, reinforcing the lingering panic and powerlessness of the event. The final tribute to the deceased workers grounds the spectacle in human loss, leaving a heavy and lasting impact.
Oct 25, 2016
10
Outstanding, dramatic thriller about the events leading up to the explosive blowout on deep sea rig in April, 2010. Good portrayal of the key players by Russell, Wahlberg and Malkovich. If you feel complacent or curious about the life on an oil rig at sea, it is well worth seeing.
Sep 29, 2016
75
What we’ve got is a highly entertaining nautical version of “The Towering Inferno’’ (still my favorite guilty pleasure of all time).
Sep 27, 2016
75
It’s a well-made, sometimes horrifyingly realistic re-creation of events — but it often feels like a formulaic disaster film.
Sep 13, 2016
70
For a movie in which you can’t follow what’s going on for 75% of the time, Deepwater Horizon proves remarkably thrilling.
Sep 28, 2016
58
As entertainment, it works in the most rote way: the star power of Wahlberg, Russell, and Kate Hudson, who plays Mike’s worried wife; Malkovich’s predictable sliminess; the minor pleasure of seeing the good guys get out; the slight kick of watching something big crumble and burn while knowing that it’s only a special effect, real-world basis be damned.
Sep 18, 2016
38
The film should have been a cautionary tale, but in Peter Berg's hands, it's a hollow account of the resilience of the human spirit.
Apr 27, 2017
6
Excellent first act where the tension builds up like in the best of disaster films while at the same time leaving it clear for everyone of us to see how these repulsive money-hungry companies destroy us, their employees and the planet. Great second act where the disaster happens. Great scenes. Cringe-worthy third act with laughable group prayer included. Overall, something way better than what I expected from this smaller film which didn´t get much attention when it was released. At teh end of the day, I have never been a big fan of "true stories" in films. But this was good overall.
Jan 25, 2017
6
Deepwater Horizon has amazing acting not much else. This movie has 0 Cons but only 1 Pro. .
Oct 17, 2016
2
The unethical conclusion of the movie totally -- yes, totally -- ignores the colossal environmental impact of Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Apart from a brief reference to environmental impact at 2/3 of the way through, via a scene with a distressed bird covered in oil which dramatically interrupted some humans (i.e. main focus was their inconvenience/surprise, not sadness at the ecological tragedy), there are no references to the colossal environmental impact whatsoever. The movie's conclusion labours for five minutes in a "R.I.P." slide show listing of the 11 humans who died. Their loss is a great tragedy, however 11 human deaths should never hide the 10,000's of animals who died due to this oil spill. The movie's conclusion completely ignores all of this. Species killed and poisoned by this oil spill: North Atlantic Bluefin Tuna; Sea Turtles; Sharks; Whales and Dolphins; Brown Pelicans; Shorebirds. ****/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_the_Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill Peter Berg, the director: what a loser. What an unethical jerk. We live in a co-dependent world with the environment and wildlife. 10,000's of animals were killed and their natural habitat destroyed, then a movie is made that pretends it didn't happen: totally unethical.
Oct 10, 2016
0
A great disappointment! The dialog in the first half hour was mostly unintelligible and the rest of the movie incomprehensible -- a combination of accents, fast talking, irrelevant banter, and terse, unintelligible tech-speak! Only the subtitle clarification helped to let the audience know what was going on. The rest was continuous noise and flash-bang pyrotechnics. The story was known from real life, so we knew what to expect, but this movie -- in my opinion -- didn't add much to appreciating it -- except the horror of it all.
Production Company:
- Summit Entertainment
- Participant
- TIK Films
- Di Bonaventura Pictures
- Closest to the Hole Productions
- Leverage Entertainment
- Leomus Pictures
Release Date:Sep 30, 2016
Duration:1 h 47 m
Rating:PG-13
Tagline:When faced with our darkest hour, hope is not a tactic
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 2 Nominations
Visual Effects Society Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Jupiter Award
• 2 Nominations
