Film Review: "Dark Waters" (2019).

"The Truth Has a Man on the Inside" in Dark Waters. This legal thriller film directed by Todd Haynes, written by Mario Correa and Matthew Michael Carnahan, and based on the 2016 The New York Times Magazine article The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare by Nathaniel Rich, the 2015 article Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia by Mariah Blake, and the memoir Exposure by Robert Bilott. A tenacious attorney uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths to one of the world's largest corporations. While trying to expose the truth, he soon finds himself risking his future, his family and his own life.

In late September 2018, it was announced that Haynes would direct the film, then titled Dry Run, from a script penned by Carnahan. In November 2018, Mark Ruffalo was officially set to star. By mid January 2019, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and took place in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The film stars Ruffalo, Hathaway, Robbins, Camp, Garber, Harper, and Pullman. The cast is outstanding, and the performances are so good I simply got caught up. As for Ruffalo, he is seriously, seriously good. Here, his performance is passionate, subtle and right on the money. Ruffalo gave the strongest performance of his career.

Dark Waters is one of the most sharply scripted films of 2019, with an engrossing premise and faultless acting. Haynes succeeds not only in capturing the audience's attention, but holding it until the credits roll. The film is a morally alert, persuasively realistic and increasingly suspenseful melodrama, impeccably acted and handsomely staged by Haynes. The film is not an exercise in high-tension energy; you'll never confuse its eponymous protagonist with Jason Bourne. But it does have enough of a melodramatic pulse to keep you engaged in its story and, better than that, it is full of plausible characters who are capable of surprising—and surpassing—your expectations. The deeper you get into the film, the more it becomes apparent that this is a masterful character study of how people react when pushed to the brink. A deliberately paced, endlessly riveting, highly suspenseful work that captivates and thrills with an assured hand. Haynes directs with a cool hand and an underplayed sense of drama, letting the words and the performances carry the film. There's a lot of skill involved in the film and an understated, ambiguous hero that's becoming rare in modern film. Even if under its subtle surface there isn't really much there, the surface is good enough to make it worthwhile. The film is a chilling, intense conspiracy thriller, filled with intriguing characters and great performances. A strong drama/thriller that starts a little slow, but ultimately gets into a nice rhythm. A straight-ahead suspense melodrama, complete with villain and a climax with satisfyingly clean lines. But Haynes constantly elevates the material with surprise gifts.

Simon says Dark Waters receives:

Also, see my review for Wonderstruck.