Spoilers are ahead for the ending of Deepwater Horizon (2016).

Summary

• Jimmy Harrell's warnings about the Deepwater Horizon rig were ignored by BP, leading to a tragic disaster.
• Despite being injured in the explosion, Harrell survived, though he sustained lasting injuries and lived with PTSD.
• The real-life Jimmy Harrell passed away in 2021 after battling cancer.

After the titular tragedy unfolds in Mark Wahlberg's 2016 biographical disaster film Deepwater Horizon, the movie only briefly mentions what happens to the survivors in the wake of their rescue. While Wahlberg's Michael "Mike" Williams, a chief electronics technician, serves as the film's protagonist, Kurt Russell's James "Mr. Jimmy" Harrell is crucial to Deepwater Horizon's plot. An offshore installation manager, Jimmy Harrell is responsible for looking over the Tansocean-owned offshore drilling rig. Since Deepwater Horizon is based on a true story, the film foreshadows the impending tragedy by shining a harsh light on the rig's faults.

Mike and Jimmy's concerns don't outweigh the decisions of BP managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza...

During an inspection on April 20, 2010, Mike and Mr. Jimmy are both surprised to learn that BP failed to thoroughly test the integrity of the rig's new cement work. The workers, who were sent home early, failed to complete an all-important log. Although Mike and Jimmy see the red flag, their concerns don't outweigh the decisions of BP managers Donald Vidrine and Robert Kaluza, who just want the rig to drill as much product as quickly as possible. Of course, it's that faulty, untested cement work that fails, triggering the Deepwater Horizon disaster's initial catastrophic blowout.

Jimmy Harrell Wasn't Charged For His Involvement In The Deepwater Horizon Explosion

All Manslaughter Charges Against Two Other Employees Were Dropped

According to testimony from the real-life Mike Williams, the equipment at play in the Deepwater Horizon disaster was clearly in a state of disrepair, but BP's higher-ups chose to ignore the obvious safety concerns in favor of profits (via Financial Post). After the initial blowout, an unfortunate chain of malfunctions with said equipment left the team in shambles. With the well not sealed, the oil ignited, eventually causing the rig to erupt in flames. As oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast, a nearby drill team vessel, the Damon Bankston, careened toward the explosion.

...only Vidrine and Kaluza were prosecuted for their involvement in the Deepwater Horizon tragedy.

Jimmy Harrell manages to survive the series of life-threatening events, though he becomes gravely injured. When Mike saves him, Mr. Jimmy faces a hard truth: the rig can't be saved. Ultimately, Deepwater Horizon became the worst oil spill in US history. The unsealed well spewed oil for a staggering 87 days, flooding the gulf with roughly 210 million gallons of oil. Although 11 people died in the Deepwater Horizon disaster, only Vidrine and Kaluza were prosecuted for their involvement. Despite being charged with 11 cases of manslaughter, the BP managers' charges were dismissed five years after the deadly incident.

How Jimmy Harrell Was Still Deeply Affected By The Deepwater Horizon Event

The Tragedy Took An Emotional & Physical Toll On Jimmy & Other Survivors

Although Jimmy Harrell was in charge of drilling on the Deepwater Horizon when 11 workers lost their lives, testimony from the crew revealed that he was unafraid to speak his mind. In fact, in the lead-up to the disaster, Mr. Jimmy warned the higher-ups at BP that the well's seal hadn't been properly tested, which he felt was a danger to the crew as well as the operation at large. Although federal investigators tried to strike a plea deal with Jimmy — a confession of criminal negligence in exchange for dropping the manslaughter charges — Harrell opted out.

Harrell felt he couldn't plead guilty in the Deepwater Horizon investigation...

Harrell felt he couldn't plead guilty, because he'd be saying "I did something I didn't do" (via NOLA.com). After the tragic event and subsequent federal investigation, Jimmy was wracked with grief, as depicted in Deepwater Horizon's ending. According to his attorney, the avid fisherman refused to set foot on a boat after the Deepwater Horizon disaster — a stark indicator of the severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that Jimmy Harrell lived with. Apart from the emotional and psychological toll, Jimmy walked away from the disaster with fiberglass embedded in his skin and breathing issues stemming from smoke inhalation.

The Real "Mr. Jimmy" Died 11 Years After The Deepwater Horizon Explosion

Jimmy Harrell Passed Away In 2021 After Living With Cancer

In 2021, just over a decade after the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the real-life Jimmy Harrell passed away. According to Harrell's obituary, the Mississippi resident had been living with cancer up until his death at the age of 65. While Harrell grappled with health problems as a result of the smoke he inhaled during the Deepwater Horizon explosion, it's unclear if the injuries he sustained during the tragic incident were linked to his battle with cancer. As Kurt Russell's depiction of Jimmy Harrell in Deepwater Horizon underscores, the former rig supervisor is fondly remembered by survivors for speaking his mind.

As of April 2024, Deepwater Horizon is streaming on Max.

Sources: Financial Post, NOLA.com