Flight Film Review

Flight - "The most fascinating person that I've never met"

Robert Zemeckis returns after a 12 year hiatus of live action feature films, his last being "Cast Away" in 2000 starring Tom Hanks. Flight being a multifaceted title for this harrowing feature film opens with our protagonist "Whip Whitaker" played by Denzel Washington waking up from a binge night of drinking next to another member of his flight crew, a young stewardess who bravely graces the screen completely nude. The importance of her being nude is ground in the reality of this film. It is heavily implied if not completely obvious that they had, had sex the night before and not bothered to put their clothes back on, which would be the likely situation if this were real life and not a fictional film.

Captain Whitaker proceeds to hit two lines of cocaine to wake himself up for his morning flight and thus sets the tone for the film and puts the audience on edge. As the plane takes off & ascends through a storm, that is literally shaking the cabin and rattling the 102 souls on board with turbulence we bare witness to Captain Whips abilities to fly under the influence of both alcohol and cocaine through the eyes of his younger co-pilot who eyes him suspiciously. The symbolism of the soundtrack is all too relevant as "Feelin Alright by Joe Cocker" plays in the background. We are given a false sense of security once the storm passes and the flight crew casually addresses the passengers.

This is when......the plane falls apart at 30,000 feet in the air and nose dives. Whip Whitaker suddenly has responsibility thrust upon him and the steps he and the flight crew take to land the plane as safely as possible are extraordinary. I haven't seen Denzel Washington play such a self-destructive character since training day in 2001 which won him an Oscar for best leading actor. His alcoholism & depression combined with his personal denial is startling to watch as you beg him to put the bottle down. Bruce Greenwood plays his best friend and former co-pilot in the film and has to watch at a distance as Whip slowly descends into an abyss of family issues, alcoholism and an impending trial that will decide the fate of Captain Whip Whitaker & whether or not he will be blamed for the calamity of the flight.

Don Cheadle is assigned to Whip as his attorney defending both Whip and the pilots union and does an excellent job of being the voice of reason in this film. John Goodman plays Whip's personal drug dealer & every scene he's in "Sympathy for the devil by The Rolling Stones" plays in the background, one could argue it's not subtle but it's very fitting. He supplies Whip with alcohol and cocaine during the film which should make us dislike him but his performance is so "devilishly" charismatic you can't help but enjoy his scenes. We are told that 10 other pilots were placed in flight simulators where the flight is recreated and not one was able to successfully land the plane but the fact remains that Captain Whip Whitaker was under the influence of severe drugs and should not have flown. It is a very personal journey we accompany Whip on and you can't help but feel sympathy for him. One of the years best films & I'm not surprised the awards have already started "flying" it's way. 10/10