Directed by: Robert
Zemeckis
Written by: John
Gatins
Release Date:
November 2nd, 2012
Rated R for drug and
alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and an intense action sequence.
Review by: Sean Kayden
“Flight,” the latest film from
Denzel Washington starts off riding high. As the journey continues, however, it
takes a slow nosedive barely lifting itself up before a total crash landing. Washington
stars as Whip Whitaker, a commercial airline pilot who is an alcoholic. He’s a
pretty selfish guy that has an ex-wife and a son he rarely sees. The night
before the flight, Whip consumed what appeared to be a considerable amount of
alcohol. He proceeded the following morning by doing a line of coke to help him
sober up. Despite what should have been an impaired physicality, Whip was seemingly
okay to pilot the plane. He even gets through a heavy storm under severe
turbulence with a sense of ease and composure, while reassuring his passengers
not to worry acting as if everything is now copacetic (although he
clandestinely pours two mini vodka bottles into his bottle of orange juice). He
additionally informs the passengers there will be no meals or bottle service on
the flight. Long story short, there is a malfunction with the engine, among
other parts of the plane. This leads Whip to do whatever it takes to try to
land this thing, but as his options start to run out quickly, he has no choice
but to turn the plane upside down to slow it down. Acknowledging the fact the
plane was going to crash, Whip does everything in his power to keep it from
nose-diving and possibly killing everyone on board. When the dust settles, the
plane goes down, but only 6 out of the 102 passengers died. Whip is deemed a
hero, but even heroes have fatal flaws. After going to a remote getaway on his farm,
Whip empties all his alcoholic bottles and cans stored there. It looked like he
was about to have a clean slate. However, when the toxicology report comes
back, alcohol and substances were found in his blood. Whip becomes
knowledgeable of the fact that there will be an investigation into the crash,
which may cause severe implications for him. From there, Whip returns to the
dark side.
The second act is dedicated to
clearing Whip’s name of any liability for the crash. Whip knows he’s the only
one who could have landed that plane and in doing so, only a few died while a
large number did miraculously survive. Don Cheadle plays Hugh Lang, the
appointed attorney for Whip. Actor Bruce Greenwood is Charlie Anderson, a friend
and colleague of Whip, who is on the board of the union for commercial airline
pilots. These two men are trying help Whip, but he continues to be a problem.
Along the way, Whip starts an unlikely romantic relationship with Nicole, a
woman he met at the hospital. She is a heroin addict trying to sober up.
Despite her breakthrough in that department, Whip doesn’t follow her lead and
refuses to get any help. Fearful she’ll start to use drugs again, she leaves
Whip. The entire second act is long and turns into a series of scenes of
watching Whip become worse with his alcoholism. He never can man up to anything
and tries to manipulate people in helping him clear his name since he has an
upcoming meeting with the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board).
Washington’s performance is strong
and is easily one of the most complex roles he’s tackled in years.
Unfortunately, the supporting cast doesn’t get a whole lot to work with.
They’re all fine, but the juiciest role is the one for the protagonist. John Goodman
shows up in a few scenes and steals the show. He brings an unexpectedly
humorous side to a rather ominous story. There’s also a terrifically written scene where Whip, Nicole
and a cancer ward patient at the hospital share a late night smoke in the stairway
talking about life, cancer, smokes and God. It’s a rather moving and profound
scene, but sadly no scene after that comes close to being on par. The thing
with Flight is how straightforward it is. As a viewer, you may sympathize for
Whip but that feeling wears thin. In the end, he has to make a decision and
you’re not sure how it’s going to play out. I did like the ending, especially
the very last sequence with Whip and his estranged son finally making amends.
Overall, Flight tackles the themes of alcoholism and obsession. It does a
somewhat commendable job, but nothing new or insightful was revealed about the
“disease.” With a protagonist that becomes increasingly more and more difficult
to root for, “Flight” soars lower than initially intended and doesn’t
recuperate quickly enough for a smooth finish. You’re in for a jarring trip
that’s acceptable this time, but you’re unlikely inclined to come back to visit
a second time around.
Grade: 3 out of 5
Published by Mountain Views News on December 29th, 2012
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