Dark Waters (2019) User Reviews

EVERYONE should see this movie.

[StarkerMann · 9/10 · 6 December 2019]

EVERYONE needs to see this movie. These chemicals are in all of us, especially C8 (PFOA). Derived from The Manhattan Project, DuPont used one of the most toxic "forever chemicals" in everything from cooking products to paint. 99% of all humans have it in their systems.

Before you dismiss this as "hyperbole" or exaggerated for artistic license, don't. This is based on decades of documented and well known civll and criminal cases, countless deaths, DuPont's own records they tried to hide, and on and on. This isn't another "liberal agenda" film as some often state as a means of dismissal - this is about all of us and knows no political bounds. Please, I sincerely implore you, watch this movie and do your own research if you doubt any of it - and prepare to be gutted (warning: not an uplifting film).

Disturbingly relevant AND eye opening!

[tquilla · 9/10 · 23 December 2019]

This movie has me pondering every product I use now. Excellent storytelling. Fantastic casting. I even loved how some of the real characters were actually in the film as well. Good cinematography. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 was because it was slow in some parts. Overall, a must see that hopefully changes your life.

More people need to see this

[branflakes4547 · 9/10 · 21 December 2019]

It feels like this movie is being swept under the rug. I won't say by whom, but I will remove my tin foil hat now. Fantastic fantastic film. This movie really rocked my world. It took me a few days to calm down I was so enraged at the subject matter. Unbelievable crimes against humanity. But because Dupont makes 75 billion dollars a year nobody can touch them. Not even the government. Evvryone should see this. Very thrilling and well made. Mark Rufallo can go fly a kite though. He's the same as he always is

Scary as hell when I learned what the movie was about

[Vic_max · 8/10 · 1 December 2019]

This is one scary movie because it's something that stretched into recent times ... and really happened. It's about self-regulation, big-business, medical disasters and cover-ups on a scale that just doesn't seem possible in today's world.

I had no idea this movie was about one of the most well-known brands in the world (that DuPont owns) ... and the terrible secret behind it. Since the name is not advertised in the previews, I won't spoil it here ... but everyone has heard of it and ... ugh ... been somewhat contaminated by it.

This is not really an "action" movie ... it's a bit of a slow-burn as developments take place over stretches of time. Mark Ruffalo's performance is fine ... though it's fair to say there are other actors who could have put in more compelling and watchable performances.

I'd have to admit that if the movie wasn't about real events, it would be so-so. However, because it is based on actual events ... you can't help but want to know how the movie unfolds.

While there are some unexplained issues relating to the main character's law firm and boss (who inexplicably seem to side with an underdog case) ... it's not enough to derail the story ... because the main plot really did transpire.

It's a good movie to remind us that we're not as protected by our systems, institutions and government as we'd like to think.

A must see.

[jayaxelhickey · 9/10 · 20 January 2020]

It's very scary but it's all true. Look it up. We are not protected at all. We are just lab rats.

Thank you for the fight

[Gordon-11 · 1 February 2020]

I still remember watching TV ads about teflon when I was a child. I only find out today that it is severely harmful to health! The story is engaging and absolutely gripping. Thank you for the prolonged fight against corporate deception and irresponsibility. Thank you for telling this story that otherwise many people would not have known.

Everything that's wrong with the world

[Funsunsea · 7/10 · 22 January 2020]

Superb acting by Ruffalo who gave 100% effort exposing the capitalists guilty of destroying an entire district for financial gain. Shame on them! What makes this even more shocking is the time and effort it took to get them to admit it. Which was well played out by the excellent work done by casting director. It makes me wonder why it is a "movie" that highlighted this atrocity. Why is this not household knowledge. Why aren't we boycotting their products. Why!

"We should want to nail Dupont!"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 9 November 2020]

This is the kind of stuff that makes your blood boil, doesn't it? Whenever I become aware of instances where products produced by large corporations are deemed dangerous or hazardous to one's health, I always wonder whether the executives of those companies have any trouble sleeping at night. In the case of Teflon or it's component PFOA, the summary of the story concludes that it can now be found in ninety nine percent of everything living on the planet. Seeing as how this includes those same executives themselves and their families, you have to wonder why they would willingly keep on poisoning themselves. It took real courage and a whole lot of persistence for the real live Rob Bilott, here portrayed by Mark Ruffalo, to take on the huge Dupont Chemical Company back in the late Nineties when he first learned how one of their dump sites was poisoning the ground water and streams in his former home town of Parkersburg, West Virginia. It didn't take long for Bilott and his law firm to realize the system was rigged to cover up wrong doing and avoid accountability for their poor corporate behavior. The film I'm sure can't possibly convey the frustration and anger experienced by his law firm and it's clients over the decade plus long battle to set things right, just as I'm sure no amount of damages can soothe the families who lost loved ones to the hazards posed by a poisonous product. It might sound like a lot to hear that Dupont eventually settled for a six hundred seventy million dollar fine over it's use of Teflon, but if you break it down, it's just under a hundred ninety thousand dollars per case. Seems to me like the company got away cheap.

Straight Down the Line

[evanston_dad · 7/10 · 16 December 2019]

I'm a sucker for a good ol' little-man-against-the-system movie (think "Erin Brockovich" and "Silkwood"), of which "Dark Waters" is the latest example. I was mostly intrigued to see what Todd Haynes would do with the formula, since he's explored such a unique creative touch in films I've adored ("Safe", "Far from Heaven") and films I've felt more lukewarmly about ("Carol," "I'm Not There"). Surprisingly, he charges straight down the line with "Dark Waters." This is an interesting if not engrossing film, and it feels like it could be directed by anybody.

That's not necessarily a bad thing when you have an actor as good as Mark Ruffalo in the lead, because the movie gets out of his way and lets him do his thing. He gives a restrained, compelling performance and resists the urge to overplay the everyman-as-hero aspects of this story. This film is more "Silkwood" than "Erin Brockovich." As much fun as it was to watch Julia Roberts tearing around the screen giving everyone a what-for, she wasn't once believable as a working class broad. Ruffalo, on the other hand, IS believable as a modest attorney in Rust Belt America, and he builds a full performance out of subtle, quiet moments rather than any big, showy, Oscar clip ones. This is basically a one-man show, though he's given able support by Tim Robbins, who's worth the price of admission for the scene where he hands a young cocky attorney his ass, and Bill Pullman, gruff and hilarious and using an accent from God knows where. The weak link in the cast is Anne Hathaway as Ruffalo's wife, who, for all of her sweetness and goody-goodiness as an actress, is miscast as a wholesome, Christian mom.

I can't think too much about "Dark Waters" because it will keep me up nights and will give me a phobia about ever drinking or eating anything ever again.

Grade: A-

The Corporation Does Not Factor Humanity

[statuskuo · 9/10 · 7 December 2019]

There's nothing here that you have not seen. Go ahead and call it "Aaron Brockovich." But director Todd Haynes still makes it entirely engaging and painfully true that death is a number compared to liability and that is how you can sustain cold hearted industry. Made more gut wrenching is how they believed the ends justified the means. Mark Ruffalo tackles the lawyer with the conscience wonderfully. Suffering under the weight of what he must do and what then envelops his small world. It's heroic in how much he does sacrifice and let's face it, these stories don't end well. What director Haynes does is put a face to the not-on-the-books crime. And though, it only is a civil case somehow you sense the frustration of the town. Not played as rubes but believing that a massive corporation who funded and gave perks to sustain the village wouldn't willingly destroy it. As we know now versus 1998, they knew...if not for simple morbid curiosity. Then sat on the information as it fed the machine decades later, we are now more informed and much more paranoid. Everything we eat or touch or...breathe we are closer to death. I was in that area in 1998...and the news then spent less time on it then I recall. As a college bound student, I heard murmurs of DuPont and jokes were made of this. Now...it seems bitterly grim. How many lives were destroyed because of shady dealings. When you peel the onion, you do weep. I love this flick. The flavor of that era is pitch perfect. The backroads of an industrial town, built under poor chemistry just sweats disease. And you walk out angered by it. The fight continues to this day.

Disturbing Story

[rjw999 · 7/10 · 10 December 2019]

Warning: Don't read if you want to be surprised by the movie. It is a good movie and worth seeing. I may see it again. Mark Ruffalo was very good.

True story about something quite urgent and concerns everyones general health. Teflon includes a dangerous chemical that may leach out of products made with it and thus be consumed or breathed. So it potentially affects us all - not sure if this is still the case, as this story takes place around 2000.

I'm shocked that this is not already known. Instead, it is the subject of a movie. I can't imagine the chemical in Teflon is at the lethal levels covered in this story, but to learn this dangerous chemical is/was in consumer products from cookware to carpets needs to be known. Shame on DuPont and the EPA for not adequately publicizing such an important health risk.

Must See

[drjgardner · 9/10 · 10 December 2019]

Great acting and a great story - what more can you want. Perhaps a happy story because this story is over whelming. A large company knowingly uses war technology to destroy the lives of animals, people, and communities in the name of the mighty buck. We can take solace in the fight to expose them, but the facts of this case are so distressing.

Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, an d Victor Garber are exceptional, but the star of the film is Bill Camp in the performance of a lifetime.

Mark holds it together....

[shawnchandy-95434 · 7/10 · 8 March 2020]

The movie is like a Deja Vu of films such as Erin Brockovich and so it depends largely on the performance of its lead character; in this case Mark Ruffalo. The storyline is known to anyone who has access to Google. The script is pretty average and so is the direction. What stands out is Mark's performance. I continue to firmly believe that he is one of the most underrated actors of our times.

Great Story, Not Great Film

[katzsar · 5/10 · 3 January 2020]

As a film it wasn't executed in a particularly compelling way but it is a really important story

Informative

[ilovefoodcoma · 8/10 · 28 November 2019]

It is great to hear the details of this case from the victims' side other than from the media. Very informative and good flow of the script. Even though it is over 2 hours movie but didn't feel any scene unnecessary. Definitely great directing.

Wow, who knew? This biopic story NEEDED to be told.

[Top_Dawg_Critic · 8/10 · 21 January 2020]

Dupont's stock dropped when this film was released. I never knew about this deception until I saw this biopic. Casting was excellent with stellar and convincing performances. Directing was good but the editing was terrible in some parts. I also felt the 126 min runtime was too long, and felt even longer with the slow pacing and some dragged out/unnecessary scenes. Had the pacing been faster and 20-25 mins shaved off the runtime, I would've rated this gem higher. Still, a great biopic about a story that needed to be told, and a well deserved 8/10 from me. Now off to go throw away my teflon non-stick pans...

Not As Furious As It Should Be

[CinemaClown · 18 January 2020]

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.

Eye Opening Tale

[stevendbeard · 7/10 · 7 December 2019]

I saw "Dark Waters", starring Mark Ruffalo-The Hulk in the Avengers movies, Thanks For Sharing; Anne Hathaway-The Dark Knight Rises, Get Smart_2008; Tim Robbins-Thanks For Sharing, Green Lantern and Victor Garber-DC's Legends of Tomorrow_tv, Alias_tv. This is based on a true story about a chemical company-in this case, DuPont-that was dumping chemicals into landfills and rivers, which was causing all kinds of health problems for the local residents. And it was all because of greed-DuPont was making mucho profits. Mark plays a corporate defense lawyer that gets involved with a farmer-who knew Mark's grandmother-and the movie covers the time period from the 1970's until 2015. Tim plays Mark's boss at the law firm and he doesn't want Mark to get involved-at first-because DuPont is one of their clients. But Tim changes his mind after Mark starts showing him evidence of exactly what DuPont is knowingly doing. Anne is Mark's wife and Victor is the head of DuPont. It is an eye opening tale which helps explain lots of things going on in the world today, such as increasing cancer cases, deformed births, and lots of other medical problems. There were even sick and dying DuPont workers-well, they did work directly with the chemicals-that DuPont covered up. It's rated "PG-13" for disturbing images and language and has a running time of 2 hours & 6 minutes. It's not one that I would buy on DVD-once was enough-but it would be a good rental.

Exceptional

[luvrap · 10/10 · 9 December 2019]

I'm not sure how someone could watch this movie and not be intensely moved by it. That some people found it boring is a reflection of the group thinking society that we live in. I was tired when I went to the theater and almost fell asleep during the previews and first 10 minutes of the film. Then I was on the edge of my seat. Incredible acting! Easily one of the most informative and best movies I've seen in a long time. Ignore the bad reviews and if you're a free thinker GO SEE this movie.

A socially important film

[spotboyfilms · 7/10 · 12 December 2019]

This film sheds light on the work and life of Robert Billott, a lawyer who has dedicated decades to bring justice to everyday folk affected by intentional corporate neglect. Mark Ruffalo plays the lead role in a very compassionate and human way that really let's us empathize with him. The film really shines at balancing out the desired goals vs harsh realities of corporate litigation. You get a true sense of how frustrating it can be to fight for justice and to bring change. This film is important for our times. It should get your blood boiling, make you aware of a system that is broken, and ultimately our attitudes and actions are what will determine if changes will ever be made. Watch this film, talk about this film, talk about the subjects of this film, that is the only way the purpose of awareness will be fulfilled.

A great fight

[valadas · 8/10 · 23 January 2020]

The powerful company DuPont that runs consuming water business with a plant in Cincinatti, Ohio, has been polluting water for many years with a chemical called PFOA that proves to be greatly dangerous to human health and has inclusively caused some deaths. The defense attorney Robert Bilott starts a fight against that company which includes judicial proceedings, The movie shows it with every detail in an excellent realistic way with all characters performed by excellent actors which galvanizes us as viewers till its end. One of the best 2019 movies.

Ruffalo is One of the Best

[ThomasDrufke · 7/10 · 17 December 2019]

One of the more forgotten films of 2019 (especially during awards season) is Dark Waters. A very, very good look at an underdog story about one of the most powerful corporations in the world and how they wronged the world (and may still be) by poisoning the water we all drink. Mark Ruffalo, returning to this investigative sub-genre after 2015's Spotlight, gives another terrific performance, and he's supported by several other noteworthy actors doing great work. I think in many ways this film could have been more satisfying if it was made in a few years as the case(s) against Dupont is quite frankly, still going on. Alas, the film isn't necessarily something I would ever revisit since it's far from an enjoyable experience. But at the very least, Ruffalo's performance is something all film fans will appreciate.

7.9/10

Frightfully disturbing.....

[byron-116 · 8/10 · 19 January 2020]

Everyone must see Dark Waters to realize how we, the people, are duped by giant corporations. Throw out any Teflon pans and pots you may still have in your kitchen.

If you weren't paranoid before, you will be now.

[TheCasualReviewer · 7/10 · 8 December 2019]

So, basically if I ever end up with a serious illness then I should take it up with DuPont? Sounds good.

SYNOPSIS: This is the story based on a real person named "Robert Bilott" and inspired by an article titled "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare." Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) is a lawyer who primarily defends chemical corporations until a farmer from his old town of West Virginia asks for help to prove that there are chemicals being dumped in the water that is the cause of large amount of cow deaths. Although unconvinced at first, through excessive research and digging, Robert begins to find horrifying evidence of something much worse than just a deadly chemical to cows, but humans and all creatures alike.

DIRECTION: If I'm being honest, I don't have much to say in this realm. The direction by Todd Haynes was as technically solid as any other good film. Yes, just "good." The color palette was probably a little too dull even for the subject matter and really the film's strong points really lye in the writing and some strong performances. I feel almost any other director could've done the same job, if not better.

WRITING: The writing is definitely a step up from the directing. The writing isn't perfect as there are some scenes that almost seemed unnecessary and just had me thinking "get to the story!" Now, there is much to be said about how much time and effort it must've been to retrieve all of this information and translate it to script. Yes, it's been done before, ie: Spotlight, Zodiac, etc., but this is quite possibly one of the most important stories to be told today as this is something that is still affecting everyone... TODAY. It is based on the NYTIMES article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by Nathanial Rich, but obviously there was far more research than a 10ish page article.

ACTING: The acting is definitely where the juice is at. This is where you take your regular beef sandwich and baptize it (In case you're not american enough to know what this means, it means you dump in in the beef juice). Mark Ruffalo gives a similarly excellent performance as he did in Spotlight. WOAH WOAH, I didn't say it was AS good, I said it was SIMILAR. Cool it, Mary. It's expected, but he really makes the film what it is. Anne Hathaway is great, as usual, but her role as the wife wasn't integral to the story. I understand showing he has a life outside of work with kids and a wife and showing the kid's grow older and older gives substance to the prolonged journey Robert is taking, but these were the scenes I felt could've been cut or replaced. Tim Robbins is in this and some other people and some other people. All did well, just kind've interchangeable.

CONCLUSION: Mr. John "The Sexy and Over-qualified or something Critic Guy" Yanulis, you rated this film a 3.5/5, yet after reading your overly long review it seems like a high rating. What can I say? I like it Ruff and I'm a sucker for investigative films on important and interesting topics. Also, I prefer rating my films on a 1-10 bases, but I'm limited. So really for me this film is like a 6.6/10.

Interesting topic but boring

[sofie_buelens · 4/10 · 25 August 2021]

It is a very interesting topic deserving to make a movie. But pls think about how to bring it. I felt few times in sleep while the subject was interesting me but the characters were so boring.

It is really a pity but people do not get the message behind because of the irritating way this movie is made.