In spite of what trailers would have us believe, it turns out
Flight
isn't so much a slick drama about an accidental hero with a dilemma,
but instead a surprisingly down-and-dirty, intimate tale of an
out-of-control addict who won't even let a brush with death keep him
from his destructive behavior. Starring Denzel Washington and directed by
perpetual crowd-pleaser Robert Zemeckis,
Flight is a bit of a risky hybrid: a gritty addict drama made by a filmmaker with
blockbuster sensibilities. And for me, it works.
Washington
plays commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker, whose destructive behavior
is made quite clear to us in the opening minutes of the film. After an
all night bender of alcohol and cocaine, Whitaker shows up to fly per
usual - though to the dismay of his straight-laced co-pilot (Brian
Geraghty). When the plane malfunctions, Whitaker shows unflinching poise and executes a radical
maneuver that ends in a controlled crash landing that saves nearly all
the passengers on board. Waking up in the hospital, Whitaker should be
readying himself to be declared a hero, the problem is his incriminating
blood - swimming with illegal substances - was drawn at the scene of the
accident.
What's interesting is that
Flight chooses not to show
its audience much of the world reacting to the accident. It instead keeps us primarily at the hip with Whitaker, who chooses to escape the media frenzy by
retreating. Though a court hearing looms in the background - with Don Cheadle
playing the pilot union's lawyer - the film's
focus remains fixed on Whitaker's tug of war with the demons that are poisoning his
career, his relationship with his estranged wife and son, and a
friendship with a former colleague desperately trying to be an ally
(Bruce Greenwood.)
The only other character we truly follow is a
heroin addict and kindred spirit named Nicole (Kelly Reilly) who
Whitaker meets at the
hospital. Keeping us in exclusive proximity
with these two characters allows this surprisingly effortless 2 hour 20
minute character
study room to breathe, entrusting its audience with occasional moments
of quiet - and it's this quiet that
allows the bigger moments their impact. Of course Denzel sweeping up the
floor with his ability to play everything from calm and confident, to
sad sack, to a loose canon provides a sturdy anchor throughout.
After losing Zemeckis to
motion capture animated films for over a decade - his last live action
film being
Cast Away in 2000 - I'm happy to report that his
brand of storytelling and exacting camera work are back in play without a hitch.
Thanks to subtle but powerful technique, alcohol itself almost because a
tangible villain. I nearly found myself yelling out loud "Don't do
it!" whenever a drink was in proximity of Whitaker. Additionally,
Zemeckis shoots his films in a more classical style, free from today's tendency of excessive
cutting, which allows the frame to move and explore, revealing information rather than presenting it,
effectively turning the camera into less of an observer and more of a silent
narrator.
Flight is an expansive, involving, and often times
frustrating look at addiction and the wake it can create. Its unexpected
weight is what will surprise most audiences I imagine, but it's what
also makes
Flight worth the trip.
