Anne Hathaway and Mark Ruffalo in ‘Dark Waters’ (2023)
Synopsis
Dark Waters is your classic David and Goliath tale, based on real life. David: corporate lawyer Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo). Goliath: Dupont. The battle at hand: Bilott’s struggle to expose Dupont’s lies about the dangers of its most profitable chemical cocktails.
When did it all begin? In 1998, farmer William Tennant (Bill Camp) bursts into a law office asking lawyer Bilott for help suing Dupont for poisoning the creek where his cows drink. But no, when did it really begin? That’s what Bilott has to figure out. It goes back decades.
When done well, and this one is, procedurals such as Dark Waters can be as exciting to follow as any action flick. Bilott actually works for a firm that defends chemical companies and has ambitions to add to their client list. But once he learns Tennant is an old family friend, he decides he must do the right thing and take on his case. But first he must convince his boss, Tom Terp (Tim Robbins) that he can fly this under the radar without upsetting Dupont. And he must persuade wife Sarah (Anne Hathaway) that it’s worth the risk to his career.
But, of course, one revelation leads to another. And slowly, slowly Bilott recognizes the poisoning of a creek is just the tip of the toxic iceberg.
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Ruffalo is exceedingly solid as the guy with good intentions who can’t, as so many of his legal colleagues can, look the other way when he realizes that he has naively believed that a company as accomplished as Dupont acts in good faith. He believably progresses from humble investigator to obsessed hunter, and his sense of outrage grows with each astonishing new revelation.
Spinning around Ruffalo’s performance is a gaggle of well modulated supporting roles. Robbins is particularly good as the boss who can simultaneously support and chastise. Hathaway is likewise nicely believable as she fluctuates over the years from perplexed to irritated to outraged to understanding. And then there’s a leavening bit of humor from Bill Pullman as canny anti-corporate lawyer Harry Dietzler, who plays the “I’m just a simple country lawyer” bit perfectly.
No spoiler: There is no neat, tie-a-bow-on-it ending. Fights like these never end.