Movie Review: Flight

Flight
3.5/5 stars

Many a wise man have preached this same axiom: “Life’s about the journey; not the destination.” If you buy that, as well you should, then you’ll like “Flight.”

Despite its countless detours into subplot melodrama – which irrevocably offset the film’s course – poignant moments borne of deft acting and directing make this aimless adventure well worth taking.

The film centers on Capt. Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), a commercial airline pilot who garners Sullenbergerian fame by safely landing a malfunctioning jetliner. But when authorities discover an excessive amount of alcohol in Whitaker’s system, an investigation ensues that forces him to confront his alcoholism.

As that synopsis might suggest, this a morality tale – pure and simple. Which is why it’s so troubling to have a script so dense and complicated as this one’s. Notions of fate, honesty and self-respect make scattered appearances but never find a center. The result is good film about a great many things; not a great film of just one good thing.

On the good-great scale, however, Washington ranks at excellence. Whitaker lies to almost everyone he meets, but Washington shows us a commendable, if fearful, man hiding deep beneath the surface. In short, he plays mysteriously vulnerable – not just mysterious. And the difference is key to making us care about this dishonest drunk.

Director Robert Zemeckis knows just how to shoot this enigma. The audience never finds itself too close to Whitaker, but then again, never too far. You can’t help but wonder what drives this lonely heroic liar.

When you finally do, Zemeckis gives you the close-ups of all close-ups, finally without those aviators as opaque as Whitaker himself. While this denouement might seem thematically dissonant to most, you understand the sentiment of “truth sets you free” like never before.

It’s but a moment in a fascinating string of moments; even if you never land anywhere certain by the end of it, you’ll have certainly enjoyed the ride.