It’s 1998, and corporate defense attorney Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) has been an associate at Taft Law for the past 8 years. The Cincinnati firm specializes in defending chemical companies, and Bilott has just become its newest partner. Just as Bilott is settling into his new role, farmer Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), from his hometown of Parkersburg, West Virginia, shows up at his office pleading for his help. Tennant claims that chemical company DuPont has been dumping toxic materials into the landfill that abuts his farm, and that these chemicals are making their way into the streams, poisoning and killing his cattle.

This was not the first case Bilott necessarily wanted to take on as a new partner—or even the type of case the firm generally handles. Taft defends the chemical companies, it doesn’t represent the plaintiffs! However, Bilott gets the approval from his boss/friend Tom (Tim Robbins) to quickly handle the case on a contingency, as a favor to this friend of his grandmother’s. Bilott knows an attorney who is part of the in house corporate council for DuPont, and contacts Phil Donnelly (Victor Garber) asking for some discovery in what initially appears to be a simple, small land dispute. But as Bilott delves deeper into the case and witnesses the horror happening on the Tennent farm first-hand, he starts to uncover a massive public health hazard and cover-up with DuPont’s Teflon line that could affect no only those in Parkersburg, but the global population as well.

Dark Waters is based on real events outlined in a New York Times article about the whistle-blowing chemical defense attorney. Bilott is torn between two very different worlds, and not really a part of either one. Even though he was born in West Virginia, the folks there see him as an outsider. DuPont is beloved in Parkersburg—the townsfolk don’t see it as the enemy, even though it is secretly killing them. The DuPont name is on schools, football fields, and street signs, and the company is the town’s largest employer. So any attack on the company feels like an attack on the town. And back at Taft, Bilott is the only partner not generating revenue, working with plaintiffs and taking on a chemical company—the kind of institutions the firm usually defends! Bilott’s increasing obsession with the case also causes stress in his home life, where wife Sarah (Anne Hathaway) is often left to deal with the children’s issues on her own.

The overwhelming tone of the film is that of a tense thriller. As Bilott uncovers the dastardly things that DuPont has done, the company always seems to be a few steps ahead, covering its tracks, or finding ways to derail Bilott’s case. Bilott is representing folks from a poor town, without the resources to fight a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate like DuPont, which pretty much has unlimited resources to wear the plaintiffs down and make them give up. In addition, the company uses threats and scare tactics to put those involved in the case on edge. The film has some truly tense moments where I found myself on the edge of my seat, holding my breath for fear of what might happen next.

Mark Ruffalo gives a captivating performance as this fascinating attorney who puts his career—and possibly his life—on the line in order to take on a ruthless giant. He is surrounded by many other strong dramatic performances, particularly Bill Camp as the desperate farmer who kicks this whole thing off, and Tim Robbins as the boss, who gives an excellent speech to the other Taft partners, trying to get them to support Bilott’s case. Another delight is Bill Pullman, who has a small but hilarious courtroom appearance as class action lawyer Harry Dietzler. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that Anne Hathaway was given much to do with in her role. She has two odd, almost contradictory back-to-back scenes, the first finds Sarah yelling at her husband for making everything about the case, and the second has her yelling at her husband’s boss for not being more supportive of her husband.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the film—I remember when this whole Teflon thing happened, but I don’t think I ever fully understood the gravity of the situation. This film is eye-opening in regards to the deadly and dangerous things that big corporations are able to get away with. My one complaint about the movie is the pacing of the final act. Things seem to really slow down near the end, offering false ending after false ending, only to have the real ending feel a little too abrupt and abbreviated, with a lot of it just being summarized with text on the screen before the credits role. That said, I did enjoy how the credits pointed out the cameo appearances by the real-life folks who were also portrayed in the film.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The filmmakers have given the film a bit of a washed out, yellow tone in order to add to the period look of the film. This adds a nice look and feel to the movie and helps to transport the viewer back the days of payphones, flip phones, and the Alta Vista search engine. The disc’s audio track provides clear dialogue, and a tense though sometimes a bit overly-aggressive score, and really showcases some perfectly-utilized selections of popular music on the film’s soundtrack.

The Blu-ray release includes both a Blu-ray disc and a DVD disc packed in standard HD keepcase with a slipcover, and contains an insert with a code to redeem for an HD Movies Anywhere digital copy of the film. The Blu-ray and DVD discs both include the same small assortment of bonus material—just 13 minutes of cast and filmmaker behind-the-scenes featurettes.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:07:03)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish DTS Digital Surround Sound 5.1, French DTS Digital Surround Sound 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 3/31/2021):

• HD digital copy redeemable via Movies Anywhere

Extras:

All of the bonus material can be found on both the Blu-ray and DVD discs. Both discs offer a convenient Play All option.

• Uncovering Dark Waters (5:38)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about how the film came about, keeping true to the facts and characters, working with the director, the look of the film, the wardrobe and filming locations, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Todd Haynes, producers Pamela Koffler & Christine Vachon, star/producer Mark Ruffalo (“Rob Bilott”), costume designer Christopher Peterson, production designer Hannah Beachler, real-life participants Rob Bilott & William “Bucky” Bailey, and actors Bill Camp (“Wilbur Tennant”), Bill Pullman (“Harry Deitzler”), Tim Robbins (“Tom Terp”) & Anne Hathaway (“Sarah Barlage Bilott”).
• The Cost Of Being A Hero (5:01)
  The cast and filmmakers talk about empowering whistle-blowers, the sacrifices that these heroes make, and specifically those made by Rob Bilott in order to get the truth out. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with star/producer Mark Ruffalo, director Todd Haynes, the real-life Rob Bilott, and actors Bill Camp, Tim Robbins, Anne Hathaway & Bill Pullman.
• The Real People (2:28)
  The real-life Parkersburg residents portrayed in the movie talk about their experiences on set and taking part in the film. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director Todd Haynes, actress Anne Hathaway, and the real Sarah Barlage Bilott, William “Bucky” Bailey, and Darlene & Joseph Kiger.

Final Thoughts:

Dark Waters is both a solid whistle-blower/legal thriller and thought-provoking drama. I found the story to be both fascinating and disturbing (because it was true), and the performances to be quite good overall. Universal’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but unfortunately only includes about 13 minutes of bonus material. I would have loved if they had included an audio commentary, or even some archival information, such as the 20/20 segment referenced in the film. That said, Universal’s release still comes recommended based on the quality of the film itself.