Dark Waters

Dark Waters is a movie I’ve already seen a handful of times in the few years since its release, and I continue to find it an easy rewatch. I may just be a sucker for a legal drama with a little guy versus a big evil company, but I enjoy it every time. That being said, I apparently still rate this movie lower than the average IMDB rater, where it has a 7.6. This is certainly a good movie, but I wouldn’t say it is great.

The best part of the movie is that it is a true story. Dupont is a crap corporation that does horrible things, so it is excellent to see that exposed and broadcast. Todd Haynes manages to take this decades-long story and make it feel like one coherent story, which is not particularly easy to do. This story would probably have been better off as a limited TV series, like Dopesick did about the Sackler family. Regardless, the movie makes its point and the story is engaging.

The characters are real, although some of them seem severely underdeveloped. Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins both could use more screen time for character development, although both make great use of the limited time that they have. Ruffalo is, as always, solid in his role as well.

I like Dark Waters and will probably watch it again in the next few years, but I wish there was more room to hear about the people and bad acts involved in a legal case that spanned 20 years, based on events that go back for 45 years. It’s a good movie and gets a 7.