Written by: Ariela Barer, Jordan Sjol, Daniel Goldhaber
Starring: Ariela Barer, Kristine Froseth, Lukas Gage, Forrest Goodluck, Sasha Lane, Jayme Lawson
Rating: [4/5]
Peaceful activism for valiant causes certainly has its place in bringing attention to something those who participate in care for deeply. However, when all else fails, some individuals may feel it appropriate to take matters into their own hands to at least make a change. How to Blow up a Pipeline displays this in exact terms and does so in such riveting fashion that you may find yourself forgetting to breathe in moments.
Fed up with the inaction of the powers-at-be to make any meaningful changes to fight against climate change, Xochitl (Ariela Barer) begins to recruit other members of her university to do something much more disruptive to make an impact and send a message. Their group then teams up with various members who come together who plan to blow up a segment of a Texan oil pipeline to leave a sizable dent.
With quite the title that will certainly put some on an FBI watchlist, How to Blow up a Pipeline comes together as such a unique viewing experience in how it catalogs these individuals uniting under one particular cause with the risk of grave consequences if they get discovered. It has the energy of a heist film in some ways where the stakes continually get elevated and so much careful planning gets put in place. However, the goal of this joint effort does not center on stealing millions from some egocentric billionaire but rather to make a massive difference in the battle to save the environment. This propulsive energy and perpetual tension employed by the film keeps us locked in to see what goes into planning something of this nature.
Climate change like many things in our current landscape gets politicized with one side of the aisle typically seen as the ones pushing for reforms to lower carbon emissions and a greener planet but this film displays a unity that goes beyond what many suspect. It demonstrates this to be a truly human issue right at its core where you have stereotypical college students known for having the bleeding heart ambition to save the world team up with the likes of Dwayne (Jake Weary) a blue-collar Texan who has his own gripes with the local oil companies. As the film progresses we learn more about what brings each of these characters into this united front showing how much unfettered growth by oil companies can heavily harm individuals to the point where they would dare to do something this incredibly dangerous.
Focusing on the planning itself and the backstory of these characters, this film does not necessarily leave bountiful room for the development of these connections but it never serves as the point of what they want to accomplish here. We receive each of their stated goals and they essentially come together for this job they all want to see transpire. Strangers that unite for this particular cause and will probably never speak to one another ever again. It adds this anonymity to the way these characters will operate but also makes their impassioned teamwork all the more impressive as a result.
When we get to the actual moment where they set everything in motion and execute their plan to blow up this pipeline, this film elevates itself into something incredible. The rising tension and stress building with every minute these characters get closer to their goal and face the obstacles standing in their way. From trying to avoid getting caught by the guards of the pipeline to ensuring they appropriately put the explosive in place makes every move incredibly stressful to watch because this film could easily go in various directions. As mentioned before, these are not professionals in putting together these types of plots but rather a group of impassioned individuals trying to send a message in the loudest way possible. Mess-ups will happen and having them occur on the date where they attempt to set off this explosive could lead towards something quite disastrous for them given all the moving parts and the fact they need to transport and detonate this explosive properly.
Quite unlike any film out there in the marketplace, How to Blow up a Pipeline stands out in crafting such a methodical and impactful film. Whether or not one believes in whether a collective act of this nature is justified, this film captures a collective anger about inaction where peaceful and polite protesting does not move the needle as these individuals would like. The sheer amount of detail displayed in how these individuals built the bomb can raise some eyebrows and why the FBI released an official warning against engaging in eco-terrorism in this manner. This level of detail combined with the emphatic filmmaking make this feel like such a thrilling and thoroughly human experience that allows its finale to punctuate the experience perfectly well.
Films with Josh 
