Flight (2012)
Certified: 18
Duration: 139 minutes
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Denzel Washington, Tamara Tunie, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Melissa Leo, Don Cheadle,Nadine Velazquez, Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty, James Badge Dale
KRS release
Denzel Washington plays Whip Whitaker, a pilot who is in a relationship with steward Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez).
The more things get absurd, the more this multi-faceted character seems to be in control
Together with co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty) and attendant Margaret Thomason (Tamara Tunie), the two are to take off on a short flight with a fully-loaded plane. However, Whip and Katerina drink and take drugs before the trip.
The lift-off is already tricky due to a storm but during the flight Whip puts some alcohol into his orange juice and lets the co-pilot take over.
A mechanical problem develops and it is here that Whip shows great skill, not only in keeping the plane going but also in the unorthodox manner in which he lands it. The next thing Whip knows is that he wakes up in hospital where he is greeted by Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood), an ex-airline pilot, a union representative and a friend of his. Here he learns that all on board the plane survived except for six people.
Whip soon tells his drug dealer Harling Mays (John Goodman) that his drug-taking days are over. In a staircase he meets a woman, Nicole (Kelly Reilly), who has also been through a drug problem and has decided to stop doing drugs.
Meanwhile, the press are hounding Whip, so he decides to move to his father’s farm and Nicole joins him.
The trouble starts when the toxicology reports come in, showing that he had drugs and alcohol in his system when the crash happened. This could lead to criminal charges for death by negligence.
In comes Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle), the lawyer brought on by the union to defend him. Whip is not so cooperative and not even the best lawyer can save him from imploding.
Flight is a very well-oiled combination of two factors: director Robert Zemeckis’s storytelling abilities and Washington’s knack for pegging down a role so well on screen.
Lately Zemeckis has been more involved in some groundbreaking animated movies like Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007) and A Christmas Carol (2009). Thus one might easily forget that he had also directed Back to the Future (1985), Forrest Gump (1994) and Cast Away (2000), all films that tell such a good story.
With Flight, Zemeckis takes a more analytical approach than usual. This may be a sign that the director is making his most serious cinema-making effort yet.
Washington brings to the screen a very well-rounded and complex characterisation that is worthy of the Oscar nomination he has received. We follow his character’s highs and lows and we get the feeling that the more things get absurd, the more this multi-faceted guy seems to be in control.
This is a very unorthodox man who seems to rise above expectations, yet we are never sure if the source of his bravery and fierceness is innate or is due to the booze and drugs he partakes from. He continuously tries to save his skin but he is not always ready to face the consequences of his actions.
Goodman delivers a typical whirlwind performance while Reilly seems to have been left a bit awe-struck by Washington.
The film has good sound effects and tight editingthat give it a sense of urgency. By the end, Flight succeeds in its sense of control, the complexities it exploresand the way it picks over the not so rosy part of human nature.