Wonderful character movie

Rating: 8/10 (4 February 2013)

This is a very difficult movie to review without spoiling, but I think I've managed it.
The basic premise is this: Whip, an alcoholic pilot is woken up the morning of a flight completely hung-over and snorts cocaine to wake up before having to fly the plane.
The plane takes off and it's immediately apparent that something is wrong with the plane and Whip, a very experienced and accomplished pilot manages to crash land the plane against next to impossible odds. Six people die, but over a hundred passengers are saved.
Whip is greeted as a hero, but also needs to face the official inquiry about the plane crash, which bothers him due to the fact he had been drinking.
Flight has many other stories running through it, but the actual main thread of the film isn't the one that is most obvious at the beginning, and that is Whip's own personal demons. Denzel Washington does a stellar job in the role - as close to perfection as you can get.
It's a very messy movie, and deliberately so, because one of the other central themes is that life is never predictable and under your control and sometimes things just happen for no reason. Although this sounds Tarantinoesque, it is actually pointedly highlighted in the script, particularly with a religious theme - sometimes poignant, sometimes comic and therefore never preachy.
All the characters are very humanised and sympathetic, even the flawed ones. It was a very intelligent script, in that there is very little that comes across as contrived and fake.
It's also very nicely balanced - it could have been intensely dramatic the whole time were it not for some wonderful over-the-top moments provided by Harling Mays (played by John Goodman).
Coming home an hour later my head is still spinning about this movie, which is a wonderful thing - worth a look!