“Deepwater Horizon” stars Mark Wahlberg along with several other big name supporting actors. The movie highlights what happened to the oil rig on April 20, 2010 off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. Wahlberg plays an experienced worker on the rig and stands alongside Kurt Russell, who does a nice job.

On the oil rig came the worst oil spill in United States history, stemming from some faulty machinery on the rig. The best part about “Deepwater Horizon” is it knew exactly what it was.

It’s a disaster film with some nice build up and some intense moments in the latter half of the film.

The performances were also stellar. Wahlberg really comes through with a charismatic effort as the main character and Russell complements him nicely. Kate Hudson is impressive in a small yet emotional role as Wahlberg’s wife. Gina Rodriguez also comes with a breakout performance as another oil rig worker and does well alongside Wahlberg during the disaster scenes.

The direction was solid overall. Some of the shots of the ocean and the rig had me in awe of the cinematography.

Berg did a good job with casting and the dialogue wasn’t bad.

The only thing that was fairly weak about this movie was usage of the runtime. It spends a little too long building up the oil spill and not quite enough time on the disaster itself. However, the entire final act is entertaining. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the likes of Russell and Wahlberg gaining some buzz at awards time.

“Deepwater Horizon” was just what it needed to be. It was released at the end of September as nice kickoff to Oscar season. It’s not quite Oscar worthy, or at least it doesn’t appear that it’s going to be yet.

It does almost everything well, but it doesn’t do anything amazing. It’s an interesting story in American history and Berg is becoming adept to taking on these types of projects.

This film lacks much of a lasting impact because many people already know the story. Like “Sully,” which came out in September, this film can only go so much deeper than the real life occurrence, which somewhat deterring its replay value.

However, it’s a good watch because the acting and direction help its cause. It’s close to the perfect length at one hour and 47 minutes.

Overall, “Deepwater Horizon” is an entertaining watch and a fun theater experience. It’s definitely worth a watch, but if you have to wait until it comes to cable channels or streaming sites, don’t sweat it.

Final score: B