"Flight", at first, may look or sound like a drama about one pilot's heroic acts and how he saved countless lives but this is far from what Robert Zemeckis brings forth on the big screen. What people actually get is almost a reality check that this is no fairy tale story - that "Flight" is actually an intimate look on alcohol and drug addiction and how it may affect even spectacular people like our hero pilot Whip Whitaker. Do we mind that the actual incident takes a back seat? No, not really because what "Flight" actually becomes is one that truly hits a chord in our books.
Captain William "Whip" Whitaker (Denzel Washington) wakes up in a hotel room with one of his flight attendants. We soon discover that he has had a night of sex, drugs, alcohol and little sleep. Right before he leaves for his flight, SouthJet Flight 227, he uses cocaine to wake up. Most of the flight is normal until their final descent where the plane suddenly goes into a steep and unrecoverable dive. Captain Whip decides to invert the plane to counter act the dive and flips the plane back to normal before he lands the plane on a field and loses consciousness. Soon, he discovers that only six people died - 4 passengers and 2 crew - which includes the flight attendant he had a relationship with. As the NTSB further investigates into the crash, blood tests reveal that Captain Whip was intoxicated and had drugs in his blood during the flight. Now he must prove that the accident was caused by the plane "breaking down" and not him not having the right mind during the flight.
"Flight" is more than the story of a pilot saving countless lives. What lies beneath is a believable and somber reflection of what alcoholics or addicts must struggle with every day. This is greatly helped by Denzel Washington's superb acting. His character is a complicated one - one with good and dark sides that will make you love and hate him at the same time. It's such an experience when you deeply sympathize for a character and then suddenly feel that the hero pilot that was presented earlier is also a conceited and lying alcoholic who would do everything to skip jail time. Some may feel that "Flight" is slow, cumbersome, repetitive and boring. But we beg to differ, the stubbornness and frustrating nature of the lead character is the denial stage of his addictive nature. It just shows how much a struggle it is for this people to cope and accept that their really is a problem. What we didn't love though is the film's penchant to present drinking and drugs in somewhat a good light. Although "Flight" eventually redeems itself by the end, it might just inspire some. Overall, "Flight" is a film that dares to expose a truth few have tried to do in a believable way.
Rating: 4 reels
Why you should watch it:
- superb acting especially by Denzel Washington
- a believable reflection on an addict's plight
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the character of Whip may frustrate with his stubbornness
- at times, may give a reflection that using alcohols or drugs may be good
Captain William "Whip" Whitaker (Denzel Washington) wakes up in a hotel room with one of his flight attendants. We soon discover that he has had a night of sex, drugs, alcohol and little sleep. Right before he leaves for his flight, SouthJet Flight 227, he uses cocaine to wake up. Most of the flight is normal until their final descent where the plane suddenly goes into a steep and unrecoverable dive. Captain Whip decides to invert the plane to counter act the dive and flips the plane back to normal before he lands the plane on a field and loses consciousness. Soon, he discovers that only six people died - 4 passengers and 2 crew - which includes the flight attendant he had a relationship with. As the NTSB further investigates into the crash, blood tests reveal that Captain Whip was intoxicated and had drugs in his blood during the flight. Now he must prove that the accident was caused by the plane "breaking down" and not him not having the right mind during the flight.
"Flight" is more than the story of a pilot saving countless lives. What lies beneath is a believable and somber reflection of what alcoholics or addicts must struggle with every day. This is greatly helped by Denzel Washington's superb acting. His character is a complicated one - one with good and dark sides that will make you love and hate him at the same time. It's such an experience when you deeply sympathize for a character and then suddenly feel that the hero pilot that was presented earlier is also a conceited and lying alcoholic who would do everything to skip jail time. Some may feel that "Flight" is slow, cumbersome, repetitive and boring. But we beg to differ, the stubbornness and frustrating nature of the lead character is the denial stage of his addictive nature. It just shows how much a struggle it is for this people to cope and accept that their really is a problem. What we didn't love though is the film's penchant to present drinking and drugs in somewhat a good light. Although "Flight" eventually redeems itself by the end, it might just inspire some. Overall, "Flight" is a film that dares to expose a truth few have tried to do in a believable way.
Rating: 4 reels
Why you should watch it:
- superb acting especially by Denzel Washington
- a believable reflection on an addict's plight
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the character of Whip may frustrate with his stubbornness
- at times, may give a reflection that using alcohols or drugs may be good
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