Review of Flight (2012) by Rudy M — 24 Jul 2013
The more I read IMDB's taglines for movies, the more I laugh. Get this one: "An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.".
It wasn't the investigation into the accident that revealed something troubling. The first couple of minutes of this movie are already troubling, where "Whip Whitaker" (Denzel Washington), airline pilot, consumes liberal amounts of alcohol and drugs before going to work.
Yes, the plane crashes. Yes, Whitaker was drunk. Would the crash have been worse if someone else was piloting? Will they find out he was drunk? Those are the facts and questions that pop up in the first hour of this movie.
The second half of the movie, however, is an entirely different story. It is the story of an arrogant but broken man, struggling with life and addiction. It turns out the hour-long flight sequence is nothing more than a frame for this story. That's sure to disappoint some (probably younger) viewers who expect Hollywood-style plane crashes.
Robert Zemeckis, famous for Back To The Future, Forrest Gump and many others, produced and directed this movie. Denzel Washington plays the lead role. Because of some inconsistencies in the pacing of the story, this is not one of my favorite Washington movies, but the skill with which he portrays Whitaker leads me to believe that I am starting to enjoy him as one of the finest actors of this generation.
Pros: Denzel Washington.
Cons: Irregular pacing.
Verdict: Watch when it's on TV.
This review of Flight (2012) was written by Rudy M on 24 Jul 2013.
Flight has generally received positive reviews.
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