Robert Zemeckis’ last two non-animated films are the soon-to-be released Flight, with Denzel Washington as Captain Whip Whitaker, and Cast Away, with Tom Hanks as Mail Extraordinaire Chuck Noland. Both films tell the story of horrorfying plane crashes that engulf the first 30 minutes of each movie. It’s been a dozen years between the two films, and yet Zemeckis still gives us a remarkable look into characters who must battle all that is inside them to find some truth to the current mess they have become surrounded by. Tom Hanks’ character was a stand-up husband who was forgotten but never gave up hope. Denzel Washington’s character is the exact opposite – he’s a liar, he’s an absentee father, and a selfish alocoholic with no real hope in him left. Through all this, Zemeckis and Flight writer John Gatins have given us a character breakdown that is more in need of love from the audience and one that achieves as much as Hanks’ lovable Cast Away achieved.
Denzel’s character is downright unlikeable, shares a kinship with Nicolas Cage’s alcoholic in Leaving Las Vegas, and yet like in that film we still yearn for him to at least find his soberness. Flight‘s real power is mixed in two elements. One is a harrrowing and haunting plane crash that is scarier then any Paranormal Activity film. The other element is the turmoil Whip Whitaker inflicts on those around him, and how his final choice in the film costs him everything except the one thing he thought he didn’t have anymore – hope.
Denzel’s performance is incredible. He goes from shocking us in the first opening scene to making us cringe with every drink he takes, to finally wanting him to just be free of this demon. Surrounded by a talented cast with Bruce Greenwood (The buddy role done right), Don Cheadle (who’s House of Lies character holds a strong resemeblence to Whip Whitaker) and the hilarious John Goodman (you won’t stop giggling the moment you first see him to his final bananna boat sequence), each stealing a scene or three. Nonetheless we are yet again reminded why Denzel Washington is one of our greatest actors. No matter the scene stealing going on, we can’t take our eyes off of Denzel, his every move is important and calculated. As he goes deeper in his alcoholism, the deeper we feel for him. It’s a truly magical feat to realize that Denzel Washington can continue to pull these performances out of the ether. Flight is an ode to an actor and it’s also one hell of a dark ride. There are a few elements that don’t necessarily work, Kelly Reilly’s character plot comes across too unbelievable, even though she does have a captivating demeanor. As we see Denzel incapable of fighting his drunk demons, she is able to claim victory over the demon that is Heroin. Their love story is nowhere as complete as Leaving Las Vegas‘ Nic Cage and Elisabeth Shue. Another element that isn’t even touched upon is the lack of any identitiy to the survivors of the crash. We see glimpses of a frenzied media and yet the people most effected by Whip Whitaker’s actions have no real connection. One scene of a survivor praising Whip’s heroic landing would have added so much to the power of his piloting talents. Through these hiccups the story never wavers though from the struggle we see in Whip. An addict performance that is as strong as any before it. If you liked Leaving Las Vegas or even Paul Newman in The Verdict, you’ll understand Whip Whitaker, but Robert Zemeckis’ plane crash and the tremendous supporting cast put Flight a notch above those classic alcoholic lead character-based films. It’s Denzel’s movie and it’s worth your money and time.
