Flight
2012
**½
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, Melissa Leo, Tamara Tunie, Nadine Velazquez, Brian Geraghty, Peter Gerety, Justin Martin
Despite a late night of sex, drugs, and booze, Whip Whitaker pilots a flight from Orlando to Atlanta. When the flight suffers a technical failure midair, Whip saves numerous lives by bringing down the plane with a bold and confident manoeuvre, because or regardless of being intoxicated. After years of family-friendly, special effects-heavy output, Robert Zemeckis makes his first grown-up drama, which is well-acted but long, and ultimately disappointing. The first 30 minutes are terrific, but the remaining two hours are a drag, as the reluctant hero is gradually consumed by guilt and alcoholism. You can always trust Denzel Washington to deliver a commanding lead performance, but the script doesn't give me any reason to like Whip or to care whether or not he gets away with his actions. Kelly Reilly plays a heroin addict named Nicole who acts as a love interest/reference point. Two thirds into the film, she quietly disappears, which tells you exactly how superfluous her character is.
