Dead Ahead: The Exxon Valdez Disaster (TV 1992)

The real-life struggle to contain the environmental and financial damage caused to Alaska by the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez is dramatized.

Director:

Paul Seed

Writers:

Michael Baker (screenplay), Michael Baker (research),

Stars:

John Heard, Bob Gunton, Mark Metcalf

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Heard	...	Dan Lawn - State of Alaska
Bob Gunton	...	Larry Dietrick - State of Alaska
Mark Metcalf	...	Dennis Kelso - State of Alaska
Bruce Gray	...	Governor Steve Cowper - State of Alaska
Jo Bates	...	Michelle Brown - State of Alaska (as Jo-Anne Bates)
Walter Marsh	...	John Janssen - State of Alaska (as Wally Marsh)
John Maclaren	...	Al Kegler - State of Alaska
Marek Czuma	...	Jim Hayden - State of Alaska
Susan Astley	...	Jan Jackson - State of Alaska
Lochlyn Munro	...	Trooper Mike Fox - State of Alaska
Wally Dalton	...	Senator - State of Alaska
Frank C. Turner	...	Biologist - State of Alaska
Christopher Lloyd	...	Frank Iarossi - Exxon
Ron Frazier	...	Don Cornett - Exxon
Remak Ramsay	...	Craig Rassinier - Exxon

Storyline

The real-life struggle to contain the environmental and financial damage caused to Alaska by the oil spill from the Exxon Valdez is dramatized.

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Plot Keywords:

environmental | oil | oil spill | oil tanker | ship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Disaster at Valdez

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Films, BBC Films, Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Top Notch Film, Made-for-Television or Not

One surprising thing about this film, originally produced for HBO, was the gamble that the casting director used in using two actors usually relegated to the supporting cast - John Heard and Christopher Lloyd - for the starring roles. The gamble paid off magnificently - I don't think I've seen better performances from either of these two men; they really are the real-life people that they play: Heard as local Alaska wildlife officer Dan Lawn, and Lloyd as Exxon executive Frank Iarossi. The film avoids the usual glossy made-for-TV movie-of-the-week style to become a much more incisive film with a big-budget feel about the subtle business and political maneuvering that follow a tragedy such as the Exxon tanker crash in Valdez, Alaska. Kudos to the excellent cinematography of Alaska. I also appreciated the fact that this film was fair in portraying a business executive as a human and sympathetic character rather than the swiny caricature common in so many other films. The filmmakers deserve a congratulations for doing their homework to make each aspect of the film ring true.