Peter Berg has had an interesting career trajectory, and has earned his reputation as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle nearly every genre. While Berg has certainly not had a perfect track record, his greatest achievements suggest that he’s on the verge of creating a truly sensational project if handed the right material. Berg began his career primarily working in action films, including Dwayne Johnson’s star-making adventure film The Rundown and the military thriller The Kingdom. After the highly negative reaction that his science fiction film Battleship received, Berg took a break from crowd pleasers to initiate a new partnership with Mark Wahlberg.
Wahlberg was in a similar place as an actor; he seemed to be interested in everything from prestigious arthouse projects to generic studio comedies. However, the duo successfully worked together on the films Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day, each of which analyzed a recent event in American history and explored the real heroes involved. While these films were well received, Berg and Wahlberg next chose to work together on the action films Mile 22 and Spencer Confidential, which did not live up to the heights of their past accomplishments. Hopefully, these duo will realize that biopics was their niche, and develop more films about real heroes instead of fictional ones.
They’ve Created Successful Modern Classics
Lone Survivor is based on the 2007 non-fiction novel of the same name, which chronicles an American Navy SEAL operation in Afghanistan in which the soldiers Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Matthew Axelson (Ben Foster), Danny Dietz (played by Emile Hirsch), and Marcus Luttrell (Wahlberg) are trapped under enemy fire when the Taliban takes control of the area and threatens innocent civilians. While the United States’ involvement in Middle Eastern politics is a divisive topic, the film simply seeks to honor the fallen soldiers and point out the heroism of the local villagers that bravely resisted the terrorists. It’s not an easy film to watch at times, but it’s a worthwhile modern war film that does not shy away from the brutality involved.
Deepwater Horizon explored the aftermath of the BP oil spill and the biographical disaster that emerged in the wake of the explosion off the Gulf of Mexico. Wahlberg stars alongside Kurt Russell, Dylan O’Brien, and Gina Rodriguez as one of the oil workers that was trapped on the oil rigs during the height of the tragedy. The film shows how budgetary cuts and a lack of concern for safety procedures on the part of BP put innocent lives in danger, leading to both human casualties and irreversible environmental damage. The viewer gets a real sense of who these workers are as individuals, and the severe post-traumatic stress disorder that the events left on those that survived.
Patriots Day examined the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing crisis and looked at how the entire city was responding to the tragedy and subsequent manhunt for the terrorists. It was an interesting case in which Wahlberg wasn’t playing the singular lead, as the film shows the perspective of multiple different groups of Boston civilians and departments involved in the case. While Wahlberg’s character is fictitious, he serves as an amalgamation of the various police officers involved in bringing the terrorists to justice; this was the right way to pay tribute to the countless officers who worked to restore safety to Boston. While Patriots Day works as an electrifying action thriller with a high level of intensity, it does not seek to sensationalize any of the real events.
Wahlberg’s Strongest Performances
What’s fascinating is that none of the projects that Berg and Wahlberg have collaborated on seem to coincide with any particularly inflammatory political rhetoric; while they each delve into controversial issues that were dominated by news coverage, they don’t intend to make a point beyond highlighting the experiences that many of these heroes went through. Considering that Wahlberg has been very upfront recently about the importance of faith in his films and Berg has made some disrespectful comments about the transgender community in the past, it’s understandable why film fans might have been cagey about supporting the projects that they work on together. However, the more nuanced approach of Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day shows that the two were able to remain on the right side of history. In fact, Wahlberg has given some of his strongest performances in these films.
Wahlberg is certainly capable of giving great dramatic performances, but often they have been in modern classics like The Departed and Boogie Nights, where he is part of a larger ensemble and not necessarily given the most interesting role. With Lone Survivor, Wahlberg proved that he could be taken seriously as a real soldier, and not just an action hero. The chemistry he has with Hirsch, Foster, and Kitsch reflects the real bonds that form between brothers in combat, and showed that Wahlberg could strip back his public persona to play a relatable character.
Similarly, Deepwater Horizon gave him his most emotional role to date; a scene towards the end where he breaks down in tears in front of his wife Felicia (played by Kate Hudson) could have easily been played as an “Oscar clip” for Academy Award consideration. Patriots Day was obviously a very personal project for him considering his Boston heritage, and his performance reflects someone who knows the city well.
Their Other Output Has Been Underwhelming
Sadly, it seems like in the aftermath of these three successes, Wahlberg and Berg have gone back to making the same types of films that they had been able to take a break from. Mile 22 isn’t just a generic action movie, but a wholly incompetent one; Berg’s shaky camerawork and the dull screenplay do nothing but replicate every cliche from a spy movie.
Similarly, Spenser Confidential could have started a new franchise for Netflix if it wasn’t so dull and uninvolving. Wahlberg isn’t opposed to making action comedies, but unlike The Other Guys, he simply comes off as obnoxious. Hopefully, Berg and Wahlberg will realize that they aren’t suited for these types of projects and have evolved as artists.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
