Well Done Character Study

Rating: 8/10 (13 February 2013)

Flight is the study of a man who in a moment of crisis, saves over ninety lives. But as a result winds up having to save himself. What sets it apart from other films dealing with substance abuse is that it sets up an interesting point of view. At one point Don Cheadle's character points out to Denzel Washingtons character Whit Whitaker, that several pilots had tried to duplicate his actions in averting the total loss of every passenger and crew member in the simulator, and all failed. This leads to an inference that if Whit hadn't been stoned out, he might not have been able to pull the maneuver off. This is reinforced at the hearing where Whitaker says his actions were instinctual in reply to a question questionfrom the hearing officer. This of course leads to ask does this excuse his behavior? Of course not. Whitaker's own statements at the end point out the futility of that line of thought. This is the the truly remarkable beauty of this story. We are allowed to come to the same conclusion that Whitaker comes to. But we come to it of our own volition. The same as our protagonist. We come to it without preaching or being led by the nose. It is an excellent study of a man who must in the end, save his self respect in addition to a plane full of people.