For 2 of the 2.5 hours of Flight’s running time, I was really immersed in the fascinating character study unfolding as a result of a really scary plane crash. However, the conclusion rings false with the complicated setup, thus derailing the concerted effort Director Robert Zemeckis and Denzel Washington give the central story. Despite the crash landing (or other related pun), Flight is a very complex, dark study of Whip Whitaker (Washington), Sully Sullenberger with a drinking problem.
The day starts pretty normally: Whitaker gets ready to take off after a night of drinking and snorting. Whitaker is a functional user, in that he can undergo day-to-day activities, but struggles with personal relationships. On this day, however, the plane experiences a mechanical failure, resulting in almost certain death (at least the co-pilot acts that way). Whitaker, in a gripping sequence, calmly executes a risky maneuver and lands the plane while only killing 6 on board. However, 6 dead means someone has to pay, and Whitaker could possibly see some jail time due to his using. Fortunately he has people in his corner: his long time friend Charlie (Bruce Greenwood), now a rep for the pilot’s union; Hugh (Don Cheadle) the union’s shark attorney; and Nicole (Kelly Reilly) a user like Whitaker who meet in the hospital. During this legal battle, Whitaker must confront personal demons to successfully avoid jail, but that task comes with complications.
If the title were not taken already, 50 Shades of Grey could also pass for this title. This situation is riddled with paradoxes and moral dilemmas: could Whitaker have landed the plane while sober? Why does Whitaker refuse to admit he has a drinking problem? Shouldn’t he be considered more of a hero? Even though process wasn’t 100% followed, shouldn’t blood tests be considered? The grey areas allow both sides of the central dilemma (jail time for Whip) to be in the right and in the wrong. Some viewers will find it frustrating that there is no black and white in this picture, but Flight needs the confusion to keep the story interesting.
Flight’s highlight is the opening sequence of flight 227’s crash landing. The story is told from inside the cockpit, elevating the tension, confusion, and chaos surrounding the characters. This point of view puts the audience in the characters’ shoes, thus understanding the panic they must feel and just how amazing Whip’s sense of calm actually is. I’m not 100% sure if this few people would die due to cabin pressure shifts and mechanical degradation, but I assume Zemeckis hired a consultant and confirmed this was possible. The only comparable crash I have seen committed to film is United 93, which carries slightly more emotional heft and panic than Flight’s, but the sequence is still pretty GD terrifying (especially when the engine goes out and the plane goes silent).
Denzel Washington’s performance is what hold’s Flight together much like his character holds the plane from crash landing. This is not the recent Denzel Washington feature we are accustomed to. This character is just as confident, but his confidence is more displayed by his actions. Times where you expect Washington to give a Washington type speech or putdown are subdued into a quiet swagger with hidden self-loathing when alone or one-on-one. The audience initially is on Washington’s side, and slowly drifts away as his drinking starts to dominate his actions. Every time his character is given an out, he falls back onto his routine. The juxtaposition of Whitaker’s flight skills to his personal ones are very well expressed in Washington’s mannerisms and words; he deserves the credit he is being given. Bruce Greenwood and Kelly Reilly do good work in their roles, and John Goodman channels his inner-Lebowski for some fun comic relief. Don Cheadle and Melissa Leo are ok, but mostly unnecessary; as a whole, this is Washington’s film.
Robert Zemeckis (his first live feature since Cast Away) and Denzel Washington can consider Flight their welcome back party. Though neither quite reaches their heights of their past, they both remind us that they can still produce results at a high level. Flight is a solid entry into both their IMDB pages, and hopefully they can both use the title to soar back to the level that made us fall in love with both of them in the first place.