Our movie today is based on the 2016 New York Times story “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare.” That lawyer is Robert Bilott, played by Mark Ruffalo, who oddly enough is a corporate lawyer who specializes in defending chemical companies. I know it’s weird, a lawyer who’s job is to defend chemical companies, but is accusing DuPont, one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers, of dumping toxins illegally for decades, causing illness, birth defects and death to tens of thousands of people.
We open with Robert, a recently made partner in a large Cincinnati firm being approached, unannounced and without an appointment, by farmer Wilbur Tennant. Picture this, Wilbur, a poor West Virginian farmer plaid shirt, blue jeans and work boots trying to get the attention of Robert, a $300 an hour lawyer (this is 1998). Wilbur lives in the same town as Robert’s grandmother in West Virginia, a town Robert vacationed to every summer during his youth. Wilbur is trying to draw attention to his belief that his property and cattle are being poisoned by the DuPont Landfill that borders his property.
Robert has a soft spot in his heart for his grandmother and decides to visit her in West Virginia and speak with Wilbur.
Robert is shocked to hear that Wilbur has lost 190 head of cattle, and even more shocked when he is almost attacked by a crazed sickly steer. He decides to look further into Wilbur’s claims, and asks DuPont for information regarding their self- monitoring of the landfills and wells. At this point, Robert’s only thought was this potential poisoning was an innocent mistake on the local level, and DuPont needs to know, to correct the error and make things right for Wilbur.
DuPont, at first, willingly supplies information to Robert. However, it doesn’t take long before Robert starts asking the question, if the poisoned water is killing cattle, what is it doing to humans? Thus begins Robert’s decades long David vs. Goliath battle with DuPont.
Not all the townspeople are on the same page as Wilbur in distrusting DuPont. Most of the town is employed by the local chemical plant, and a divide begins to build in town. This is made worse when Robert, on behalf of Wilbur, sues DuPont for poisoning the land and ground water on his property.
As part of the discovery end of the lawsuit, Robert receives hundreds of boxes of papers and files dating back fifty years from DuPont. Robert throws himself into his fight with DuPont, with his family life and marriage suffering. Though initially backing Robert, his law firm begins to rethink their involvement in suing DuPont as the years turn to a decade and beyond with no resolution in sight.
The information in this movie should be distressing to all. By DuPont’s own admission they tested chemicals on humans, after finding abnormal readings in animal testing. DuPont, the manufacturer of Teflon actually added Teflon to cigarettes in 1962 and told the test group to smoke up. No surprise, all the test subjects died!! To downplay negative results, the word “receptors” was used in place of “humans.” DuPont’s thoughts must had been that it was much easier to digest 100% receptor failure, than 100% human death.
The depth of what actually transpired in West Virginia, what DuPont got away with is mind blowing. What’s also just as concerning is today 99% of the population has PFOA in their blood, which is a byproduct of Teflon which makes a profit of One Billion dollars a year for DuPont. PFOA was in the water the poisoned the livestock and people in West Virginia.
Watching this movie will make you want to throw out your Teflon pots, and think twice about DuPont’s slogan of “Better living thru Chemistry”
Mark Ruffalo does a fantastic job as Robert Bilott, a lawyer who did the right thing, a lawyer who defended chemical companies, but turned into an environmentalist. So glad they didn’t cast a “pretty face of the month” actor for this role it would of distracted from the message. Bill Camp, who portrayed farmer Wilbur Tennant, owns his role, very memorable.
At the end of the movie, prior to the credits, we are introduced to some of the real live people from the movie including Robert and his wife, a nice touch.
Dark Waters, a must see is rated B plus. There is a mention of Robert’s mother that I wished they explored, and they never explained what happened to his grandmother. All in all, a fabulous movie that I highly encourage all to see. If you can’t make it to theatre (you really should) make sure you check it out at Red Box.
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