Flight
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood and John Goodman
New Release Review
Every once in a while, I watch a film that is the epitome of what a great film should be. And this year, that film is Flight.
Flight stars Denzel Washington (who is the best actor ever) as a pilot who has some serious addiction problems. The film begins with Captain Whip Whitaker (Washington) set to pilot a flight in the early morning after a night of binging on alcohol and drugs and little sleep. The flight is pretty routine until a jolt awakens a sleeping Whitaker and forces him to go into emergency procedures as the plane is heading into a rapid decent. Whitaker miraculously manuevers the plane so that it can stave off an immediate crash and slowly decent into a less threatening one. After being praised for his heroism, Whitaker is informed that he is facing drug and manslaughter charges (the crash results in a few deaths) resulting from the toxicology screen that was performed on him after the crash.
From the initial trailers, Flight seemed to be about a pilot who performs a stunt that no other pilot could do in order to save his plane from crashing. Although this is a key element in the plot line, it is not the entire story. The majority of the story focuses on Whitaker and his personal struggles. The film uses the "crash" as a taking off point for the Whitaker character to finally face his personal demons. Through this journey, Whitaker interacts with several characters who eventually have a hand in helping him deal with his struggles.
This film is perfectly constructed. Direction, writing, acting, everything is on point. It is rare when (or even if) Washington decides to participate in a film that isn't going to be good. Even some of his lesser known or less positive reviewed films are still fairly decent (for example, Deja Vu). However, every now and again, he is given an opportunity to really show off his acting chops. He is given so much with this particular character and he runs with it. He becomes the character and you truly believe that he is Captain Whitaker. Not many actors these days can really make you believe in what they are doing/saying. And Washington is definitely one of the few that can.
The supporting cast, although not heavily focused on in this film, are superb. Greenwood and Cheadle provide the ultimate balance to Washington's erratic character. Goodman steals each scene he is in (there are only a few) with his impeccable comedic timing and wit. This is the third film that Goodman has been in over the past few months (the other two being Trouble With the Curve and Argo - see Christine's review here) and it's been great to see him tackle these great supporting roles alongside some pretty accomplished actors.
Kelly Reilly, who is not as well known as the rest of the cast, is probably most recognized as playing Mary Watson in the Sherlock Holmes franchise. Reilly shines in the role of the heroin addict love interest for Washington. Melissa Leo (who won an Oscar for her supporting role in The Fighter) rounds out this talented cast. (It's great to see Washington surrounded by actors who can keep up with him - not like his last costar in 2012's Safe House, Ryan Reynolds).
Final Verdict: See it. This film has it all - drama, intrigue, laughs, and most importantly, heart. It's great to see Zemeckis return to live action film (his last being 2000's Cast Away and What Lies Beneath) and deliver another critically acclaimed hit. (Do you remember Forrest Gump?) Here's hoping Washington receives a much deserved Academy Award nomination (if not a third Oscar) for one of his best roles yet.
Rotten Tomatoes
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