'Flight' - Soars to fantastic heights!
Denzel Washington is back in rare form in Robert Zemeckis's 'Flight', a truly nail biting, harrowing character case study of one man's struggle and descent into addiction. After spending nearly the last ten years with animation, Zemeckis is back to live action with a finely crafted morality play that, for the most part, engages the viewer from start to finish. Much of that credit can be given to Washington, who after spending the last few films as an action hero, is back to flexing his dramatic muscles in what will surely be a Oscar nominated performance.
Washington is Captain Whip Whitaker, a commercial airline pilot who is addicted to alcohol and cocaine. After an all night bender with one of the flight attendants, Whitaker is piloting a flight from Orlando to Atlanta, still high and drunk, when the plan fails catastrophically. The wasted Whitaker instinctively flips the plane, pilots it past a crowded sub division and sets it down in a field saving all but 6 of the 103 people on the flight. Whitaker is hailed as a hero for doing the seemingly impossible.
That is until the investigation reveals Whitaker's substance abuse issues and calls into question his responsibility as well as throwing Whitaker into a tailspin of destruction. This is a dark character study of addiction and the path of destruction it leaves to not only the person addicted, but to everything else around them. Laced with sex, drugs and often blaring rock music, Zemeckis pulls no punches in bringing to light the damage addiction causes. Taking it one step further, Zemeckis also sheds light on the culpability of the airline (and corporations) as they scramble to cover up the ills of Whitaker.
The opening sequence of the doomed flight is so harrowing, you will never feel the same about turbulence again. While the first half of the film is exhausting, the second half is nearly as engrossing as Washington unveils layer upon layer to Whitaker; it is only in the end that Zemeckis and Washington fall to canned sentimentality to try and make Whitaker a little less than the total self absorbed jerk he actually is. Perhaps it was because we are not afforded the opportunity to see Whitaker's turn around, instead we are treated to a very strong performance by Washington of a man's descent into his own personal hell.
Washington is not the only stand out performer in the film, Kelly Reilly was exceptional as a recovering drug addict who nearly over doses the day of the crash and meets Whitaker in the hospital. strength and conviction seems to ooze from her deeply blue eyes, playing perfectly of off Washington's tortured Whitaker. Equally strong, as usual, was the fantastic John Goodman as Whitaker's dope dealing best friend. Don Cheadle, always good, was perfectly cast as the corporate lawyer working to cover up Whitaker's culpability in the crash. A stellar cast all around!
'Flight' is Zemeckis's best film since 'Castaway' and is another Oscar nominating performance for Washington, this is a 3 1/2 star film that is worth the trip to the theater to catch on the big screen!