Flight (R)
Denzel Washington is one of those rarities in the movie business today. He’s a consistent box office draw, picking the films that are not your typical fare. Sure, he does his action pieces, such as Unstoppable and Inside Man, but he is also drawn to introspective fare. Many of his films are portraits of deeply flawed individuals and the destructive path they instinctively follow, like Man on Fire and his most recent effort, Flight.
Flight is a film where you may think you know what you are in for, but it’s actually drastically different than how it is being marketed. Its promotion focuses on the breathtaking emergency landing Captain Whip Whitaker (Washington) makes in the face of an electronic malfunction. However, this truly remarkable scene takes place within the first twenty minutes of the picture, and the remaining two hours focus on Whip’s struggle with his addiction to alcohol and cocaine and the investigation into what caused the plane to crash. You see, Whip was drunk when he boarded the plane and then continued to down vodka while in charge. This provides a supreme opportunity for an analysis on ethics and integrity in the search of justice.
After Whip successfully lands the plane with only a total of six fatalities, he wakes up in the hospital and goes out to the stairwell for a smoke. There he meets Nicole, an addict who recently overdosed on heroin. They trade a few thoughts when a chemotherapy patient joins them in the stairwell and delivers a rambling speech about God and the fact that nothing happens out of chance. Everything is meant to be in His hands. Flight uses various depictions of religion in the film and, fortunately, only one is condescending — a scene in which they make a mockery out of the co-captain’s wife.
Nicole leaves her apartment to start fresh and kick drugs once and for all and she and Whip start a relationship. Although the relationship between the two is a central part of Nicole’s recovery and Whip’s ongoing struggle with chemical dependency, the romantic chemistry between the two actors is lacking. The acting is there, just not the spark. As Whip delves further and further into alcohol, Nicole has more motivation for success. The opposing depictions of this common struggle are emotional to watch and take in.
Ultimately, what makes Flight such a great piece of filmmaking is how you never have a single character here pinned down. Bruce Greenwood, so great at playing slick, is Whip’s old friend and current head of the pilot’s union. Don Cheadle, always spot on no matter what, plays the lawyer the airline hires to defend Whip, and he blames the plane manufacturer for the malfunction. These two characters, like Whip, have different motivations and, at every turn of the investigation, their point of view and loyalties shift. You begin to wonder if anyone in the film has pure and good intentions. John Goodman has a hilarious turn as Whip’s drug dealer and it’s a nice reunion from the underrated 1998 film, Fallen.
If Washington doesn’t get an Oscar nod this year, I will be surprised. It would be his sixth total, but his first after winning for Training Day ten years ago. He is simply phenomenal. His portrayal of an alcoholic unable to let go before he loses it all is masterful work. We loathe him through our frustration and our empathy simultaneously.
Director Robert Zemeckis hasn’t directed a live action film since Cast Away in 2000, and this is a fabulous return. An accomplished director of all different genres, he is able to somehow make a film about an alcoholic exciting in many regards. Each scene has an electric current of magnetism running through it.
The soundtrack to the film is also impressive and employs the right tunes at the right time to make the audience feel what Whip is feeling at that very moment. These songs play an intricate part in sharing the struggle and elation of addiction with the viewers. In an era in which few actors can open a film these days, Washington remains not only a dependable actor, but also one that is enjoyable to watch because you feel at home with him. So, while you would never want to fly with Whip again, you remember he did save all those lives, and Washington makes us want Whip to be able to save himself.
Flight is now playing at Goodrich Savoy 16 Theater and Carmike Beverly Cinema 18.