Flight

ATTN:  MOVIE SPOILERS INCLUDED

Flight

November 4, 2012

My Opinion:

4.5 out of 5 bags of popcorn for the overall movie

4 out of 5 boxes of milk duds for my own personal entertainment

My Suggestion:  Theatre or DVD

The gist:   When an airplane flight begins to go terribly wrong, but is miraculously landed by pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) he is quickly regarded as a hero.  The investigation into the crash unveils alcohol in Washington’s blood and he goes from a hero to potentially being accused of manslaughter.   With the hearing looming Washington goes on a downward spiral as he tries to maintain his innocence and weaves a web of lies to protect himself.

My take:

This movie was very different from what I was expecting.  I am not saying that in a bad way, it was just not what I had imagined.  From the previews I envisioned Denzel Washington as a heroic pilot who had made an error in judgment, which lead to his accusations surrounding the plane crash.  BOY was I wrong!  This movie is about addiction and the lies one weaves to cover it up.  As the movie progresses you feel sorry for Washington’s character and also angry.

I have to mention that the plane crash scene was one of the most scary I have ever seen.  I found myself gripping the chair rails next to me and dreading the flight I have to take this coming Friday.  There were a few moments that I had to look away and I was grateful to have a friend there with me.

The cast is wonderful.  Denzel Washington is on the top of his game and comes across with just enough magnetism that you can’t help but kind of like the guy.  He also has a heavy dose of self-loathing which adds to his characters depth.  He is one of the best actors of this generation and it was amazing to see him shine in this role.  John Goodman plays Washington’s best friend, Harling and he adds the perfect amount of hippie, druggie, and humorous moments to keep his character very interesting.  Kelly Reilly who plays the character Nicole gives the performance of a life time.  She is raw and edgy and has us wanting to give her a BIG hug and tell her everything is going to be okay. 

I think that audiences on the whole will definitely love this movie.  The reason I rated it a 4 for myself is that I found the whole thing to be a little too depressing and that wasn’t what I wanted from the movie.  I still highly recommend this movie and wouldn’t be surprised if Washington is up for an Oscar for his amazing performance.