OIL

Author(s): James Somerton
Location: Canada

"OIL"

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Stephen Gaghan
Produced by George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh
Music by Alexandre Desplat
Edited by Mary Ann Bernard

Main Cast

George Clooney as Jonathan Hewitt
Christopher Plummer as Jon Hewitt Sr.
Vanessa Redgrave as Norah Hewitt
Benicio del Toro as Juavo Tros
Robert Redford as Sen. James Bonnam
Anne Hathaway as Mary Lynn Bonnam Tros

Tagline: "Everyone Needs It… Few Have It... And these two men will stop at nothing to get it"

Synopsis: The country has slipped into an energy crisis. Ongoing wars in the Middle East have all but brought oil production to a halt; most Americans want nothing to do with Nuclear power; and solar, hydro, and wind power are only hippy pipe dreams. Or so is the opinion of Jon Hewitt Sr., a Texas oil man who has been involved in the business so long that he can still remember the wild catting days of his youth. This is the perfect opportunity for his company, Hewitt Oil & Gas, to make a killing. His son Jonathan is being placed in charge of development but some mighty retched winds are blowing up from down south.

Juavo Tros has recently come to America from Mexico to find his fortune. After marrying a senator’s daughter, Juavo used his father in law’s clout to get his hands on a little oil company called Lone Star Petroleum. He sees the same opportunity the Hewitt’s do but he’s not about to wait for permission from the Oil Cartel to start digging. He’s already got six wells pumping full on by the time Hewitt Oil & Gas has even broke ground.

Lone Star Petroleum and Hewitt Oil & Gas find themselves in a war against each other that soon turns deadly. With Jon Hewitt’s death of a stress-induced heart attack, his son feels no obligation to stay to the old ways. All hell is about to break lose in Texas as Jon Hewitt and Juavo Tros use every underhanded tactic in the book to put each other out of business. The Federal Government gets involved but even the president has something to lose, being a major partner in Hewitt Oil & Gas. With wars over oil being waged in the Middle East, and now in Texas, could terrorism be far off?

What the Press would say:

“Oil” is a lowdown and dirty look at the stateside oil industry. Starting out as almost a family drama, with the Hewitts at each other’s throats over a gay nephew, we are quickly taken out of the home and into the offices of Hewitt Oil & Gas. Once one of the big five companies in the industry, HOG (as the company is better known), has fallen under hard times as Middle Eastern oil prices dropped. But now with wars raging and oil prices skyrocketing, it looks like the opportune time to get back in business. If only they were the only ones thinking this. The boardroom war that develops with Lone Star Petroleum is just as thrilling as any physical one. The near brawl that breaks out at the Oil Barron’s Ball between Jonathan Hewitt (Clooney) and Juavo Tros (Del Toro) is one of the tensest moments I have seen in a movie in a long time. You’re waiting for one to attack the other, but they both remain composed, their anger obviously boiling at the surface. Things go from bad to worse when Jon Hewitt Sr. dies and his son decides to destroy Lone Star Petroleum, no matter what it takes. At first, the farthest he goes is diplomatic sabotage (keeping an inspector too busy to go to the Lone Star wells and, in turn, stopping their production for several days). But once the senate begins an investigation into the oil industry, things get dirty. No low is too low as Juavo Tros and Jonathan Hewitt battle it out. The battle finally concludes with one shocker of an ending. Hewitt has turned to terrorism to take out his competition, hiring people to blow up every last one of The Lone Star wells. An explosion destroys a passing vehicle, in which Jonathan’s mother is driving. She is killed instantly and Jonathan, stricken by grief for being responsible for the death of his mother, plays a game of Russian roulette. And loses. Juavo Tros has to flee to South America to escape the United States government, who has indicted him.

The acting in “Oil” is pitch perfect; every character is believable is every way. Each actor brings an air of dignity to their characters that, in most cases, are swept away by the indignant things they later do. One character, Mary Lynn Bonnam Tros (Anne Hathaway) keeps her dignity, however. She despises what her husband is doing but finds herself looking the other way as the money pours in. Norah Hewitt (Vanessa Redgrave) is the picture of class, an honorable lady who has raised her children and now just wants to relax. Her family basically forbids it however. One of the most powerful scenes in the film is when Norah is told of her husband’s death. We watch her breakdown into pieces, her honor and dignity evaporating into tears and screams. Christopher Plummer displays a silent brilliance as Jon Hewitt Sr., a man who wishes with all his heart that he could return to his youth and get away from the politics of the oil industry that will eventually lead to his death. He is a strong man, who cares deeply for his son and wife but cringes when his son mentions something like burning competitive oil wells. His performance is heart breaking as we see him fight to keep some semblance of dignity to the business he loves so much, and then as that very business forces him to the ground with a fatal heart attack. But if he and Redgrave are the spirit of this film, then Clooney and Del Toro are the backbone. Their characters, despicable as they are, drive this film to its conclusion. They are confusing characters as we hate and sympathies with both of them at the same time.

The writing of this film is subtle, no flashy dialogue or sarcasm. Only straightforward dialogue that sounds like its coming straight from the mouths of real Texans. The directing is masterful. We are shown beautiful shots of the Texas landscape at Dusk, oil wells a hangnail against the stunning background. But we are also shown the coldness of Austin at night, and the serine beauty of the Hewitt ranch. Steven Soderbergh creates an atmosphere of opulence, and treachery. Trusting even the trustworthiest of individuals is a bad idea. Sen. James Bonnam (Robert Redford) is the perfect example of this. He seems perfectly respectable at first but we see his dirty side during the senate hearings as he does everything he can to make his son-in-law’s competition look bad. “Oil” is a beautiful film on the surface, with a dark underbelly that draws our attention. Much like the oil industry itself. It’s characters lie to us, even when they’re telling the truth. Its story grabs us quickly and doesn’t let go until every last drop is gone. “Oil” may be seeing gold this award season. Black gold.

Best Picture
Best Director: Steven Soderbergh
Best Original Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan
Best Actor: George Clooney
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer
Best Editing
Best Cinematography