Oil Storm (2005) (TV)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

James Erskine

Writers:

James Erskine (co-writer)
Caroline Levy (co-writer)

Release Date:

5 June 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Documentary-style footage reveals the aftermath of disastrous events that disrupt the flow of oil to the United States.

Cast

Melody Chase	...	Hazel Knowle
Liev Schreiber	...	Himself - Narrator (voice)
Lance E. Nichols	...	Frank Milner
Mark Krasnoff	...	John Hamel
Roland Uribe	...	Jack Roden (as Hector Roland Uribe)
Lee Ritchey	...	Ed Matthews
Peter Malof	...	Bob Knowle
Will Wallace	...	Tom McGraff
Michael Brouillet	...	Joe Knowle
Steven Chester Prince	...	Howard Gibbons
Kortney Adams	...	Estelle Sanders
Brady Coleman	...	Adam McGraff
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Malcolm Adams	...	Emergency Medical Technician
Sheila Bailey	...	Mary McGraff
Kim Carrell	...	Boston Riot Leader
Anthony Gangi	...	Protestor
Jason Harper	...	Protester
V.J. Jones	...	Farm Bureau Official #2
David Kroll	...	TV Field Reporter
Jenni Lee	...	Tv anchor
Angela Rawna	...	Reporter
Dean Reading	...	Farm Bureau Official #1
Ayden Smalling	...	Elliot Knowle
Brent Smiga
Ken Thomas	...	Reporter
Franco Trombino	...	Angry Mob Leader
Mark Van Savage	...	Mob Ruler
Santiago Villalobos	...	Protestor
Jonathan Yvon	...	John / Office Employee

Runtime:

USA:120 min (including commercials)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:TV-14

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Wall to Wall

America over the barrel

"Oil Storm" is the latest made-for-TV movie to use what is rapidly becoming a tiresome technique: a faux-documentary retrospective that details the events that led up to a disaster.

The story opens in the near future, Labor Day weekend of this year, and describes a chain reaction that leads to global economic turmoil. Drawing from a collection of worst-case scenarios, the film portrays an America in chaos after the oil supply chain is disrupted. Political efforts to alleviate the problems caused by the oil shortfall predictably fail, and the result is a crisis that makes Americans (at least the ones portrayed in the film) question their reliance on oil.

While some may portray the film as anti-Bush, it feels more anti-oil, anti-conspicuous consumption. Political actions in the movie are framed within the context of the current behavior of many of the major global political players - US, Russia, China, Saudi Arabia - and generally might not be too far off the mark.

The contingency planning and consideration of viable alternatives is simplistic, but thankfully, the writers at least avoid the "Mexico closes the border" cliché. In short, the film is about as interesting as watching a tanker spill cleanup.