To augment his portrayal of real-life corporate attorney Robert Bilott, a decent guy who undergoes a change of heart when he learns about rural poisoning by DuPont, Mark Ruffalo packed on a few pounds. The idea was to suggest corporate complacency, a flush lifestyle, perhaps a certain laziness.

I’m wondering because the real-life Bilott is relatively trim for an older guy. Or he was, at least, when he posed for a Nathaniel Rich’s N.Y. Times Magazine story (“The Man Who Became Dupont’s Worst Nightmare”), which appeared on 1.6.16.

No trailer is 100% trustworthy, but I’m sensing above-average skills applied to a standard, fact-based “good eventually prevails over evil” saga. We know how it will unfold, what it will be, how it will end. And that’s fine.

Anne Hathaway is Bilott’s emotionally stressed-out wife. Bill Camp (who played Carey Mulligan‘s small-town lover a couple of years ago) is a justifiably angry Uriah Heep-like farmer. Victor Garber is playing a heartless DuPont guy, and Tim Robbins is playing Bilott’s law partner Tom Terp.

Dark Waters (Focus Features, 11.22) is cut from the same honorable cloth that produced Steve Zallian‘s A Civil Action and Steven Soderbergh‘s Erin Brockovich, which were released 21 and 19 years ago, respectively. I for one am looking forward to this. I’m sensing the right kind of vibes.

All hail Todd Haynes, who needs everyone to forget Wonderstruck and remember Carol, I’m Not There, Far From Heaven, et. al.