How to Blow Up a Pipeline

How to Blow Up a Pipeline is a punchy film with a pertinent message.

It follows a group of environmental activists who, you've guessed it, hatch a plot to blow up a pipeline. The plot tracks them as they begin to enact their plan, and also delves into each of their back stories to reveal why they have arrived at this drastic course of action.

It makes for a compelling watch I must say. Each of the characters are interesting and distinct, and delving into their backstories is engaging. The performances are all very solid.

Visually the film is appealing but sparse, with few bells and whistles. It looks rugged and rough which works well.

In terms of pacing it does leave a little to be desired. There are a few troughs, but actually I found the whole thing more thrilling than I was expecting.

The result is a thoroughly entertaining and engaging film with a strong and timely message at its core.

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.

Up until this film I had never heard of the book How to Blow Up a Pipeline nor of it's author, Andreas Malm but this Swedish writer and associate professor has been preaching the 'joys' of environmentalists taking direct action to property for awhile. Is this fictional depiction of his writing a good summary of Malm's thoughts? It would appear so.

Of course, that doesn't make the movie good. What does make it worth a watch is how the planning and execution of this act of violence (or self defense) is portrayed. The director, Daniel Goldhaber, has given us a very decent thriller. Yes, the characters are not terribly deep but if you enjoy watching smart people figure out a heist, well in this case an explosion, then this is the film for you. Also, to have a film made in America that is basically pro-terror attack 22 years after 9/11 makes for fascinating viewing. Who would have ever guessed this day would ever come?

Should this film get any push back I have no doubt you'll hear some denounce the picture by saying brute force is not the answer. The problem with that argument is that cinema has been celebrating violence against people (See any action movie, cop film or western) for years so why not one about violence against oil pipelines?

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 was a well crafted film from start to finish by Goldhaber, fuelled by a young and talented cast, especially in Lucas Gage's performance. The choice of flashbacks were sensibly done, something I'd normally avoid saying. It was a cheeky move executed confidently by Goldhaber using peak points of tension to cut back and learn about the characters. It worked, and strengthened the audience's connection with each character. The film had a hard time finding a consistent level of maturity. It plays more as a YA novel wanting to be like Mission Impossible. The stakes were high, but it lacked some unexpected sacrifice that would come with an emotionally charged team, driven by revenge to attack the oil industry in Texas. The reason it still worked is because the cast was so youthfully motivated and their energy kept things grounded in plausibility.

This cast and crew did a spectacular job in creating a sense of a blockbuster with a festival film. And though my phone screen was found to be shattered after the screening was over at TIFF, I enjoyed the film. Looking forward to more from the filmmakers.