Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: John Gatins
Starring Denzel Washington, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle
‘Astonishing Alcoholism Drama’
It’s not often that you see a drama with compelling characters and magnificent storytelling. Robert Zemeckis’ “Flight” is an engaging and powerful film about addiction. It tells the story of how an airline pilot (Denzel Washington) miraculously saves a flight from crashing. Investigation into the matter, however, exposes a troubling malfunction.
Returning to live-action films after 12 years is quite something for a director like Robert Zemeckis. Having forged his fingerprint on a few animated CGI movies, it never seemed like Zemeckis would return to live-action. Yet he does with immense impact. “Flight” is an important movie with a strong message about drug addiction. In a world where drugs are commonly used, this is a significant film that shows negative effects of the substance. Zemeckis’ direction is impressive. He manages to tell a story by incorporating spectacular scenes, a fine script, and a wonderful cast into this movie. Known for his visually stunning style of executing scenes, Zemeckis doesn’t disappoint here. The plane sequence is one of the many scenes in this movie that deserves praise. Its intense, gripping, and beautifully filmed. John Gatin’s screenplay is strung together by dark and intriguing characters. Alan Silvestri’s score is magnificent in many ways.
Denzel Washington delivers one of his best career performances as Whip. He’s admirable in almost every aspect. From his strong screen presence to his intense demeanor, Washington steals the show and elevates this movie to another level. With mesmerizing expressions, he captures the angst, desperation and guilt of a man grappling with addiction. He never goes over the top with his performance, proving that he is a highly seasoned actor at the moment. This performance is award worthy and may garner Denzel an Oscar nomination.
The supporting cast is excellent and also worthy of recognition. Kelly Reilly is convincing in her short but well-acted role. Bruce Greenwood and Don Cheadle are top-notch as attorneys. Even John Goodman, who hardly has any screen time, manages to deliver a passable performance. He provides much of the needed comical relief in this movie.
“Flight” is one of the best films of the year, but it’s not without flaws. The running time is very detracting because of slow pacing. There’s a section in the middle of this movie where it gets slightly uninteresting and dull. A subplot involving another drug addict is also distracting because its unnecessary. It doesn’t contribute towards this movie, making the film longer than it should be. Nonetheless, “Flight” is an enthralling experience and a must-see for fans of dramas.
A powerful portrait of a painful addiction that people fight, it’s a poignant reminder of the dangers that are posed by alcoholism causing the lives of addicts taking flight to crash with negative effects that are hidden in plain sight.
4/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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