Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, Spotlight) continues to show that he is one of the more underappreciated Hollywood heavyweights in Todd Haynes’ (Carol, Wonderstruck) new release. Dark Waters tells the true story of Cincinnati lawyer Rob Bilott’s extraordinarily long legal battle against DuPont Chemical Company and the toxic waste it dumped into West Virginia’s streams and rivers. This poisonous waste contributed to a high rate of cancer cases in the surrounding areas and contributed to an alarming number of deaths among cattle and other animals. The movie is exceptionally well-made. Everyone should see it, as it tackles self-regulation, big business, medical disasters, and company cover-ups on such a grand scale that it seems hard to fathom as possible in today’s world. Today, there is so much scrutiny, regulation, and punishment for companies doing what DuPont did, and it almost escaped without punishment. Almost.

Robert Bilott (Ruffalo) is a Cincinnati-based attorney at a firm that represents major corporations like DuPont Chemical, one of the world’s most powerful chemical manufacturers. Bilott pursues this big client after Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp – Joker, Midnight Special), a family friend, tells him about his many cows dying at an alarming rate, each showing bizarre behavior before death. Wilbur knows DuPont, which has a plant near Charleston, WV, is illegally disposing of waste, and he is convinced the company is poisoning the nearby water supply. He brings his case to Robert, who, out of favor, asks his boss, Tom (Tim Robbins – The Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River), if he can take on this low-level case, assuring him it will be a side project and won’t take away from his more significant projects. Tom reluctantly agrees, though it goes against his colleagues’ wishes.

For the rest of the movie, Robert immerses himself in a case nobody else will touch, and DuPont proves as uncooperative as possible. One example is when Robert asks for the company’s files. Boxes after boxes get dumped in his office. DuPont knew well that it would take him years of 10-hour days to find even the slightest semblance of information that could be used against them. But Robert isn’t your ordinary lawyer. Once he believes the company has done something unethical and tries to cover it up, he becomes a single man on a mission to bring DuPont down.

Dark Waters is tense. It’s not exactly a game of cat and mouse, but it is, in a way. Robert becomes so deeply involved that he starts believing even his pots and pans are Teflon-poisoned after he discovers what it is. It starts affecting his family. His sympathetic but worn-out wife Sarah (Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married, Les Misérables) worries about his well-being. But she has primarily served in an advisory role, listening to his sometimes nonsensical rants for over 12 years. The couple has two children, and she, too, worries about DuPont-caused congenital disabilities. Hathaway is underused as the supportive spouse, but her role expands as the movie progresses.

Dark Waters is a taut story. I like suspense movies like these, but I’ll admit they can sometimes become trite, repetitive, or so blown out of proportion that they become laughable. That is not the case here. This movie never drags, thanks to its direction, well-written script, and great cast, highlighted by a subdued, do-the-right-thing performance by Ruffalo. In a career that keeps getting better, this is easily one of Ruffalo’s five best performances to date, and it is worth a watch for that alone. Check it out when it comes across your OnDemand screen.

Plot 9.5/10
Character Development 8.5/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 9/10
Directing 9/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 9/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
90.5%

A-

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