PROVOKR PICK: DARK WATERS
Mark Ruffalo Goes After DuPont
Versatile veteran actor Mark Ruffalo stars in the upcoming thriller, Dark Waters. He plays Robert Bilott, a corporate defense attorney who risks everything to fight DuPont, the chemical giant. He learns about the case when a farmer (his grandmother’s neighbor in West Virginia) shows up in his office. The farmer needs help. He believes dangerous chemicals have been dumped into his town’s water supply and caused the death of nearly 200 cows.
The poisonings are bad enough, but what Bilott uncovers is so much worse. Not only has livestock been killed, but these dangerous chemicals create deadly complications for the locals. The source of the contamination is traced back to DuPont, a company so powerful that it can afford to pay off politicians and hire top lawyers. Bilott agrees to take the case, but his firm already represents DuPont. He decides the David versus Goliath nightmare is more important than holding onto his job.
This may sound like a crazy premise, but as is often the case, truth is stranger than fiction. The film is based on a 2016 New York Times Magazine article “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare”. It detailed Bilott’s actions to make DuPont accept responsibility. It also showed how residents of a West Virginia community got justice. Winning a case against a company as big as DuPont carries a lot more risk than losing a job. Dupont attempts retaliation and not always legally.
Director Todd Haynes brings this powerful story to the big screen. And, Haynes has assembled an amazing cast that, in addition to Ruffalo, includes Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins and Victor Garber.
Dark Waters opens on November 22, 2019.
