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Often legal thrillers just aren’t that, well, thrilling. But the 2019 Todd Haynes-directed “Dark Waters” is an alarming, thought-provoking based-on-a-true-story movie. Concentrating on the case that exposed DuPont chemical manufacturing corporation’s contamination of a West Virginia small town, it’s a terrifying must-watch.
Corporate defense lawyer at the Cincinnati, Ohio law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) hails from Parkersburg, West Virginia. Farmer Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), a friend of Bilott’s gramdma and a Parkersburg resident, pays a visit to the offices of Taft Stettinius & Hollister. As Tennant explains, his livestock have been dying off in droves. Initially, Robert brushes him off, but ultimately he pays Wilbur a visit. Upon arriving at the Tennant farm, Wilbur reveals that 190 of his cows have died off from strange medical conditions, and autopsies revealed tumors, blackened teeth, and bloated organs. Tennant claims that the deaths are a result of DuPont chemical company.
Agreeing to investigate, Robert files a suit to obtain additional information via legal discovery of any chemicals disposed of. However, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report he discovers proves useless as DuPont’s chemicals were unregulated. Companies were supposed to self-regulate and inform the EPA of any potentially harmful chemicals. At a chemical industry event, Robert questions DuPont attorney Phil Donnelly (Victor Garber), enraging Donnelly. As retaliation, DuPont sends hundreds of boxes to Bilott, expecting to bury any evidence under a seemingly-impossible mountain of data.
However, Robert persists, and with the backing of his law firm no less. Bilott finds numerous references to PFOA which he discovers is perfluorooctanoic acid, a chemical employed in the manufacture of Teflon. Accordingly, Robert sends evidence of DuPont knowingly poisoning its own employees and dumping PFOA in Parkersburg to the EPA and the Department of Justice. Dissatisfied with the slap on the wrist fine of $16.5 million USD that the EPA issues, Robert teams up with attorney Harry Deitzler (Bill Pullman) to file a class-action lawsuit against DuPont, and obtain medical monitoring for Parkersburg residents.
“Dark Waters” is a technical masterpiece. Dialogue-driven, it’s taut throughout, gaining a chokehold on the viewer’s attention and refusing to let up from the opening scene to the end credits. That’s in part because of its superb screenplay, penned by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan. And its ensemble cast brings the many characters to life. Mark Ruffalo, who despite his excellence as superhero Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, once again shines in a dramatic flick based on actual events. As in “Spotlight,” Ruffalo highlights his character’s struggle with the gravity of the situation he’s in. Likewise, “Dark Waters” depicts Robert’s home life and the strain the multi-year case takes on his marriage with wife Sarah Barlage (Anne Hathaway).
But the onus of the movie, rightly so, is on DuPont’s maddening wrongdoing, and the impact on its victims. Several Parkersburg residents feature cameos throughout the film. And while it’s a self-contained film, “Dark Waters” touches on the systemic issue which allowed for such an atrocity. As Bilott explains in the flick, “…all the companies were expected to self-regulate and tell the EPA which chemicals they knew were bad. And they [DuPont] never told the EPA that PFOA/C8, that whole group of chemicals was toxic.” Where some based-on-a-true-story motion pictures appear over-dramatized, “Dark Waters” doesn’t. Even the passage of time remains as drawn out as many legal cases, spanning over a decade.
Riveting, eye-opening, and infuriating, “Dark Waters” is a powerful, devastating expose. It’s frightening enough to make you put down your oversized movie theatre popcorn and soda, wondering what unregulated chemicals may be lining your beverage containers. An absolute must-see, “Dark Waters” is brilliantly acted, and feels much shorter than its 126-minute run-time.
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