An informative & infuriating legal drama following a corporate defence attorney whose casual inquiry into an environmental concern uncovers a major conspiracy conducted by one of the world's largest corporations, and covers his attempts to get to the truth and expose the perpetrators to the public.
Directed by Todd Haynes (best known for Carol), Dark Waters should be gripping, given its subject matter dealing with corporate corruption & environmental harm, but Haynes narrates the whole thing in such a bland, formulaic & by the numbers fashion that neither the plot nor the characters garner our interest & investment.
The exposure to deliberate decades-long poisoning of our species by these major corporations is deeply concerning and yet there is no sense of urgency in Haynes' narration. And while the cold, sunless atmosphere reflects the grim situation, we are more worried by the realisation that it's already too late than how the events play out in the film.
The film also briefly touches on the rampant corruption within the government that allows these big & powerful conglomerates to get away with everything at the expense of public safety, all for a piece of their cake. Performances are good from the entire cast but the characters they play aren't interesting at all and fail to make us care about them.
Overall, Dark Waters is a well-crafted & finely narrated legal thriller that takes its inspirations from a real-life malpractice yet fails to deliver the desired impact due to Haynes' one-note execution. Captivating in only bits n pieces, hardly as furious as it should be, and a tad too conventional in its approach, Dark Waters performs well below the expectations. Worth a shot anyway.
Directed by Todd Haynes (best known for Carol), Dark Waters should be gripping, given its subject matter dealing with corporate corruption & environmental harm, but Haynes narrates the whole thing in such a bland, formulaic & by the numbers fashion that neither the plot nor the characters garner our interest & investment.
The exposure to deliberate decades-long poisoning of our species by these major corporations is deeply concerning and yet there is no sense of urgency in Haynes' narration. And while the cold, sunless atmosphere reflects the grim situation, we are more worried by the realisation that it's already too late than how the events play out in the film.
The film also briefly touches on the rampant corruption within the government that allows these big & powerful conglomerates to get away with everything at the expense of public safety, all for a piece of their cake. Performances are good from the entire cast but the characters they play aren't interesting at all and fail to make us care about them.
Overall, Dark Waters is a well-crafted & finely narrated legal thriller that takes its inspirations from a real-life malpractice yet fails to deliver the desired impact due to Haynes' one-note execution. Captivating in only bits n pieces, hardly as furious as it should be, and a tad too conventional in its approach, Dark Waters performs well below the expectations. Worth a shot anyway.