How to Blow Up a Pipeline

How To Blow Up A Pipeline is sold as a crackling environmental thriller with a message. The fact that it presents the message it has with a hammer doesn't hide the fact that as a film it is just shallow. It is exactly what the title says. It's about a group of climate change activists that plan and carry out the disabling of an oil pipeline in Texas. The problem is that the characters are paper thin. They are just a collection of grievances and slogans, not three dimensional people. I have watched many films like this where I may not agree with the cause or politics of the characters but at least in better movies of this kind I can relate or at least empathize with at least one or some of them. Even though this film uses flashbacks to set up the characters you don't get to know any of them. Those scenes are used to set up and justify their actions which we know is the blowing up of the pipeline. There is no suspense because I didn't care for characters. They are just stereotypes as opposed to fleshed out characters. Each character seems like a bumper sticker representing a particular grievance. This film wants the audience to think about how deep the message is but fails to create compelling characters to support the ambitions of their message.

The film is well made but is content with not really delving into the subject it wants to represent. The filmmakers sabotage their own message by being so superficial.

Grade: C-

I did enjoy 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline', but I couldn't help but want to rewatch 'The East' (dir Batmanglij, 2013), which had a similar structure (re denouement), but the stakes seemed higher in 'The East', and the psychology of the characters were a lot more deep and varied. I think that was because you come at 'The East' from the point of view of an outsider, and you watch her character arc alongside that of the eco-terrorists, and see how interacting with them changes her (and changes you, as a viewer, too).

But, even so, I'm very glad I did watch 'How to Blow Up a Pipeline', and the film made me want to read the source material.

It may not have the most appealing title and there's a conspicuous lack of 'stars' but this independently made 'eco-thriller' may be the best thriller you will see this year. Basically you could say it does what it says on the tin as a group of 'eco-warriors', (good performances from a largely unknown cast), set out to sabotage the pipeline of the title. Think of it as a heist performed by eager, well-intentioned amateurs but with the pipeline standing in for the bank vault while director Daniel Goldhaber displays the same ability as the young John Sayles for eliciting first-rate work from his fresh young cast and for giving the film the feel of a documentary.

It's also genuinely exciting; for starters these guys are dealing with high explosives that could go off at any time with deadly results and secondly, whether or not you agree with their agenda, they remain a sundry bunch of criminals packing weapons and perhaps capable of anything. A neat ending, too, that isn't as predictable as you might think. All in all, one worth seeking out.

It's a tense movie with some good moments, interesting cinematography, and an even better score. However, it didn't live up to the high expectations.

Even I, who agree with the main message, found it to be too one-sided. Other perspectives are not heard, there are no arguments, no pros and cons (when there are - and only about the method - a conclusion is quickly reached). I like movies that make me reflect and not movies that feed me the message with a spoon, forcing me to accept that. The structure is interesting, although cutting the tension doesn't always have the desired effect (which I believe is the same as a cliffhanger on tv shows). Lastly, the characters are too linear, too victimized. We know almost nothing about what sets them apart, we are only left with their motivations - all with direct causes - to do what they want to do. Ok, but didn't make me care a lot about them.

It's an ok, flawed, somewhat interesting little thriller with an important message, but that's all it is.

When I read about "How to Blow Up a Pipeline", I just had to see this movie. It is a timely political thriller that follows a group of eco-saboteurs who target an oil pipeline. Led by Xochitl, played by Ariela Barer, the group includes a diverse mix of characters, each with their own reasons for taking drastic action against the things that are killing the planet. The movie intercuts between their operation in Texas and flashbacks that reveal each character's motivations. We follow the group's nerve-wracking operation in Texas, where they check out their target, rig up explosives, and then set about doing the deed. Despite its political leanings, the movie doesn't preach or glamorize its characters, and the actors deliver strong performances that bring the characters to life. A very enjoyable movie to watch.