DARK WATERS
STARRING: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins
Lawyer Robert Bilott (Ruffalo) is a partner at a firm that has a number of chemical companies among its clients. A farmer who doesn’t quite understand what Bilott’s job involves asks him for legal assistance in taking on chemical giant DuPont, who he says is responsible for the death of almost 200 cattle on his land due to waste dumping. There’s no conflict of interest – DuPont is not a client – and Bilott becomes intrigued, ultimately deciding to take on the case, even though it places him at odds with many in his firm and turns him into a pariah.
Based on real events, Dark Waters follows Bilott’s painstaking investigation into DuPont’s activities and the evidence he uncovers of a widely used chemical compound that could potentially have deadly side-effects. It quickly becomes apparent that this is about much more than just some dead cows.
A cross between Erin Brockovich, which also dealt with a legal battle against a massive corporation, and Spotlight, in which Ruffalo played a similar role of a man intent on discovering the truth, Dark Waters is at times workmanlike as the case plays out over a number of years. But even at its most plodding, the film retains your interest. This all actually happened, and without the tireless efforts of an underdog, a company may have continued to poison an entire community.
What also makes the film gripping in a lowkey way are the performances by Ruffalo and
Hathaway as Bilott’s wife, Sarah, who contends with the case dominating her husband’s every waking moment. As the impact on Bilott’s career, personal life and health mounts, the two leads bring a quiet intensity to their performances. There is a real cost to what he is doing, and that is never more apparent than in the scenes with his wife and sons, who age before our eyes as a reminder of how much of his life is consumed by the case.
Is it the most exciting film ever made? No, but in this era when it seems like money and power allow people to get away with anything, Dark Waters is a reminder that with enough effort, anyone can be held accountable.
(Out now)