Flight

Many of you may think that Flight is a movie about pilots and their experience after a harrowing airplane crash. 

Nope.

Flight is about life.

What vices hold you down?
What do you live for?
How large of an event would have to happen for you to  change your ways? 
Does God play a role in your life? 
Is everything predetermined? 
Who are you?

All of these are questions that are raised throughout the movie after the crash. This ain't no Disney movie, it's heavy stuff. 

At the beginning of the movie we are greeted by a completely nude woman walking around a hotel room as Denzel talks on the phone with his ex-wife. Empty beer bottles litter the room as memories of the late night before and Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is feeling hungover. So what's the cure? Do a line of cocaine, naturally. Robert Zemeckis wants us to know right off the bat that this man has some serious issues. 

The entire movie, Whip is on at least 2 out
of the 3: alcohol, cocaine, nicotine

The two party animals quickly get dressed. Why? Because they have a flight at 9am. Whip is the pilot and the attractive woman is a flight attendant on his flight. Denzel, feeling great after his cocaine upper, exits the room looking and feeling like a bad ass, on his way to fly a plane with 102 souls on board. Fast forward this synopsis to near the end of the flight and the plane is crashing (after Whip had an additional 3 vodka shooters with his OJ during the flight). But the plane is crashing because of mechanical error, and somehow, in Whip's altered state, he performs a miraculous feat to land the plane: he inverts the entire aircraft to delay the dive and level out.

And that is the first 20 minutes of Flight. Like I said, heavy stuff. 

The remainder of the movie based on the days/weeks following the crash aren't near as exciting, but still every bit as powerful. We soon come to realize the extent of Whip's addiction and it is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I was so frustrated the entire movie because so many people are trying to help him get out of the mess he is in (a pending criminal investigation based on his state the morning of the flight) and he just keeps drinking. If the movie makes me this frustrated with an alcoholic character, I cannot imagine dealing with one in real life. I imagine that I could not. Kudos to the filmmakers for not toning down the addiction and taking the time to display it in all of its disgusting and tragic glory. 

An extremely intense crash scene...notice that the plane is rolling

And kudos also has to be given to Denzel Washington. By now, we all know that he is one of Hollywood's best actors and could portray almost any role given to him. Flight is no different. I hated his character, but that was the point. He lies about his drinking, uses his "hero" status to manipulate people, runs from his problems...just a slew of things. And through this all, Denzel portrays Whip with such a realism that I wonder if he himself is an alcoholic. The pain in his eyes is real and haunting, the small physical features that indicate he is lying, and finally, his collapse, are all too real and excruciatingly compelling. I didn't want to care about this character, but I did...I had to. There is a point in the movie where a sober Whip is staring his demon straight in the eyes and there is that undescribable pain deep in his eyes. You know he just wants to walk away, but he can't...he is bound by this disease. It's heartbreaking. His performance will certainly be recognized during awards season, this is for sure.

The supporting cast is just as brilliant...

Particularly John Goodman. Just like in Argo, he is a
scene stealer

But for as poignant as Flight is, it certainly has its issues. The pacing and tone has a tendency to be all over the place. One minute, it's tragic that Denzel is such an alcoholic, and the next minute, it's supposed to be funny? It's confusing and leaves the audience wondering what the view of the movie is supposed be displaying. And as far as cocaine goes? Apparently cocaine is a fantastic drug and an absolutely perfect drunk/hangover cure! I wouldn't say the movie glorifies it, but it gets awkwardly close at times. Similar in nature, the pacing feels a bit off following the events after the crash. It seems that everything in the post-crash investigation is moving along briskly and then we have random segments of 20 minutes where we don't hear about it at all. I guess the easiest way to explain it is that there are scenes that I found unnecessary throughout the movie...they felt stitched in just to further prove the point that Whip is a raging alcoholic when we already get the point.

Flight is a movie that has a lot to say about life, religion, addiction, and the relationships that we have. Sometimes it says it well and other times, its message is confused. But perhaps the best advice comes from a cancer patient smoking in the stairwell who explains that even as he is dying, he appreciates every moment of life because it is given to us. By God, or whoever or whatever you believe, life is given to us...every moment of it. And it shouldn't take impending death or a near-death experience for us to realize that. 

Pros:

• Denzel Washington's performance. The movie would be nothing if it didn't have him. Probably the best performance so far this year in my opinion
• Starts off strong and sucks you in with an extremely intense crash sequence
• As frustrating as it is, it portrays alcoholism perfectly. The lies, the inability to escape, and just the ruthlessly consistent nature of it are all present
• The supporting cast are all phenomenal as well. John Goodman is hilarious and might have an Oscar nod coming his way
• Flight makes you think. It makes you think about what problems you have in your life and whether or not you are truly "free". Any movie that causes me to do some self-soul-searching is a good one in my book
• I realy enjoyed the ending
• Fun soundtrack filled with tons of oldies

Cons:

• For a movie so serious about addiction, it sure has some odd shifts in its views towards the drugs that Whip is taking
• Damn near glorifies cocaine
• Pacing issues plague the film after the crash...there are numerous scenes that were not really necessary
• This is really a one-time view movie. A great one, don't get me wrong. But I can't see any reason that I would watch it again

Rath's Review Score: 8.5/10