Flight (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is a pilot for a Southern airline in 'Flight' (directed by Robert Zemeckis). Divorced from his wife & alienated from his teen son because of his severe drinking problem, he persists in telling himself that he can handle his issues. Typical of his life, he has just spent the night with a flight attendant (Nadine Velazquez) with whom he shares a love of mixing sex, alcohol, & cocaine. Just before leaving for the airport & his next flight, Whip partakes of that exact concoction. In the cockpit, he greets his co-pilot (Brian Geraghty, of The Hurt Locker) & hopes for a quick trip from Florida to Atlanta in torrential rain.
When turbulence rocks the plane - causing panic among the passengers - Whip accelerates the jet beyond the allowable limit & successfully breaks through into clear sky. Exhausted, he falls asleep & then a mechanical breakdown occurs which sends the plane into an out-of-control nosedive. It takes Whip's amazing piloting instincts to come up with a plan that works as he "rolls" the plane upside down to level it & then crash lands it in a barren field. Of the 96 passengers & 6 flight attendants, only 6 people are killed. In the hospital (recovering from the ordeal), Whip finds himself being celebrated as a hero. Given his fairly large ego, he enjoys this acclaim. But questions start to emerge about the exact cause of the crash & his actions both before & during it.
As the film develops, Whip destructs a promising relationship with recovering abuser Nicole (Kelly Reilly), risks a lifelong incarceration (lying to his airline union rep friend, played by Bruce Greenwood, and to his attorney, played by Don Cheadle, who is hired to make sure that Whip doesn't serve time for criminal negligence), and walks out of an AA meeting, etc.. So this story will be familiar to many viewers from their own lives.
The 1st 30 min. contains riveting material, reminding us that Zemeckis knows how to grab our attention - think back to the calm, involving, then "bam!" 1st act plane crash is his Tom Hanks drama, Castaway. The crash in 'Flight' is technically & emotionally realistic, while also revealing character. And the scene raises 2 intriguing questions. 1) Had he been sober, might Whip have saved everyone? 2) Or ... was it the alcohol/coke cocktail in his system that enabled the risky thinking that allowed him to save 96 people? Post-crash, 'Flight' is a movie about addiction. In particular, it's about the spiral that comes when - after pulling one over on everybody - an addict starts to get messy & acknowledges that he no longer has control; hence, needing help. It shows how an otherwise decent person will do awful things just to get a drink. And it displays the collateral damage that results from an alcoholic binge.
John Gatins' screenplay gives us insights into Whip's addiction & his propensity for turning away all those who have his best interests at heart. There are several religious references in 'Flight', as well. Whip's co-pilot & his wife are born-again Christians, & surprise us with their response to the crash (and Whip's possible negligence). The Don Cheadle character gets a clause put into the legal papers calling the disaster "an act of God." And one of the reasons why so many people survived the crash is because they were rescued by a group of Pentecostal church goers who witnessed the plane tear the steeple off their church.
In portraying Whip, Denzel really gives us both a hero & a villain; there are times when his charisma shines through & others when there's a good deal of unsavory behavior -- depraved, even. He transitions from coke-fueled confidence to hung over lethargy & back again while creating undercurrents of dread & embarrassment.
Crashes like the one depicted in 'Flight' happen through a combo of technological malfunction, human error, and/or chance. The film levels off after the exciting crash sequence. And the script goes on to ask us to contemplate whether miracles really can happen. So with that said, I feel that the marketing of the film (that it's a Terror-in-the-Skies actioner) will disappoint those who come out having expected "that" movie. But that's no fault of the film, itself. I also thought there were some forced plot points & a so-so ending. However, aided by some superb acting from Denzel, 'Flight' transitions well from the dynamite crash set piece into a fairly compelling addiction drama. Go see it for the amazing crash & for Denzel's vulnerable performance.
When turbulence rocks the plane - causing panic among the passengers - Whip accelerates the jet beyond the allowable limit & successfully breaks through into clear sky. Exhausted, he falls asleep & then a mechanical breakdown occurs which sends the plane into an out-of-control nosedive. It takes Whip's amazing piloting instincts to come up with a plan that works as he "rolls" the plane upside down to level it & then crash lands it in a barren field. Of the 96 passengers & 6 flight attendants, only 6 people are killed. In the hospital (recovering from the ordeal), Whip finds himself being celebrated as a hero. Given his fairly large ego, he enjoys this acclaim. But questions start to emerge about the exact cause of the crash & his actions both before & during it.
As the film develops, Whip destructs a promising relationship with recovering abuser Nicole (Kelly Reilly), risks a lifelong incarceration (lying to his airline union rep friend, played by Bruce Greenwood, and to his attorney, played by Don Cheadle, who is hired to make sure that Whip doesn't serve time for criminal negligence), and walks out of an AA meeting, etc.. So this story will be familiar to many viewers from their own lives.
The 1st 30 min. contains riveting material, reminding us that Zemeckis knows how to grab our attention - think back to the calm, involving, then "bam!" 1st act plane crash is his Tom Hanks drama, Castaway. The crash in 'Flight' is technically & emotionally realistic, while also revealing character. And the scene raises 2 intriguing questions. 1) Had he been sober, might Whip have saved everyone? 2) Or ... was it the alcohol/coke cocktail in his system that enabled the risky thinking that allowed him to save 96 people? Post-crash, 'Flight' is a movie about addiction. In particular, it's about the spiral that comes when - after pulling one over on everybody - an addict starts to get messy & acknowledges that he no longer has control; hence, needing help. It shows how an otherwise decent person will do awful things just to get a drink. And it displays the collateral damage that results from an alcoholic binge.
John Gatins' screenplay gives us insights into Whip's addiction & his propensity for turning away all those who have his best interests at heart. There are several religious references in 'Flight', as well. Whip's co-pilot & his wife are born-again Christians, & surprise us with their response to the crash (and Whip's possible negligence). The Don Cheadle character gets a clause put into the legal papers calling the disaster "an act of God." And one of the reasons why so many people survived the crash is because they were rescued by a group of Pentecostal church goers who witnessed the plane tear the steeple off their church.
In portraying Whip, Denzel really gives us both a hero & a villain; there are times when his charisma shines through & others when there's a good deal of unsavory behavior -- depraved, even. He transitions from coke-fueled confidence to hung over lethargy & back again while creating undercurrents of dread & embarrassment.
Crashes like the one depicted in 'Flight' happen through a combo of technological malfunction, human error, and/or chance. The film levels off after the exciting crash sequence. And the script goes on to ask us to contemplate whether miracles really can happen. So with that said, I feel that the marketing of the film (that it's a Terror-in-the-Skies actioner) will disappoint those who come out having expected "that" movie. But that's no fault of the film, itself. I also thought there were some forced plot points & a so-so ending. However, aided by some superb acting from Denzel, 'Flight' transitions well from the dynamite crash set piece into a fairly compelling addiction drama. Go see it for the amazing crash & for Denzel's vulnerable performance.