Flight
Don't Go! Too much of a lightweight.
Heroic pilot's alcoholic plummet.
The director of Flight, Robert Zemeckis, is arguably one of America's most loved. The lauded titles of Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Castaway and Forrest Gump all hang like joyful neon lights from his name. Those films are renowned for their clear storytelling and loved for their lightness and warm heart. Gritty, emotional drama is not his natural home, so with Flight he is gliding into new territory: the tale of a pilot struggling with alcohol addiction.
The pilot, played by a freshly (and deliberately) plump Denzel Washington, takes to the cockpit after a night of binge drinking only to preside over a dramatic aeroplane crash that inflames the slow-burning touch paper of the story. This scene is quite spectacular and as testament to the realism of the special effects and the impact of unease on the cinema audience was the accompanying sound of denim rubbing on velvet as bottoms awkwardly shifted around their seats. It is both thrilling and terrifying - you will either cover your eyes or dare not to blink as the plane plummets towards earth.
The pilot, played by a freshly (and deliberately) plump Denzel Washington, takes to the cockpit after a night of binge drinking only to preside over a dramatic aeroplane crash that inflames the slow-burning touch paper of the story. This scene is quite spectacular and as testament to the realism of the special effects and the impact of unease on the cinema audience was the accompanying sound of denim rubbing on velvet as bottoms awkwardly shifted around their seats. It is both thrilling and terrifying - you will either cover your eyes or dare not to blink as the plane plummets towards earth.
The pilot survives, and walks away a hero. What this creates is a hugely promising foundation for an atypical analysis of addiction, and society's perception of it - a saviour of lives who is revealed to have been drunk at the moment of his heroism. There are succulent issues all over the place; and over two hours in which to get our teeth stuck into them.
Who better to help us do it than Denzel? The man is a mighty actor; an expert at conveying complex and conflicting emotions. His natural effervescence can generally carry a film - replace him in so many of his movies, and usually the script, story and intrigue would immediately seem less accomplished. In Flight his presence is again essential. Heroic but broken, arrogant but vulnerable; the film is fuelled entirely by his character. When the 58-year old hits cruising speed, it comfortably maintains a high altitude, and not for a moment does his performance threaten to drop.
Who better to help us do it than Denzel? The man is a mighty actor; an expert at conveying complex and conflicting emotions. His natural effervescence can generally carry a film - replace him in so many of his movies, and usually the script, story and intrigue would immediately seem less accomplished. In Flight his presence is again essential. Heroic but broken, arrogant but vulnerable; the film is fuelled entirely by his character. When the 58-year old hits cruising speed, it comfortably maintains a high altitude, and not for a moment does his performance threaten to drop.
However, with such a tantalising subject matter carried by one character, so much is reliant on the audience willing the pilot towards redemption. There is the slightest hint of a love story with a fellow addict, played by Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), that could have urged the audience towards him, but this plot line falls totally flat with even Washington's exuberant charm unable to compensate. In spite of his handsome performance, the pilot ends up looking like a bit of a selfish ass, with very few redeeming features. Certainly this could have been improved if more weight had been put behind the potentially heavy punches of the story, rather than flicking us gently around the ears with a relatively clichéd view of alcoholism. In particular, the major moral question of whether high-functioning alcoholism could ever be acceptable is never adequately explored. Sadly, after the initial excitement of the plane crash, the film never really gets too far off the ground and occasionally even tilts into the turbulent airspace of boredom.
While it remains a very accessible, almost family-appropriate portrait of alcoholism and is a solid film overall, it is an unfortunate missed opportunity. Don't go, and hang tight until it hits your TV.
While it remains a very accessible, almost family-appropriate portrait of alcoholism and is a solid film overall, it is an unfortunate missed opportunity. Don't go, and hang tight until it hits your TV.
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