Great acting in a lengthy character drama

Rating: 6/10 (30 December 2017)

FLIGHT is an actor's showcase for the excellent Denzel Washington - one of my favourite stars working today - and a nice change of pace for Robert Zemeckis, a director usually mired in making kid-friendly movies. This one's definitely an adult film, telling the story of Washington's addicted pilot and his efforts to save the lives of his passengers during a disaster. This early sequence is inevitably the greatest in the film and a triumph of special effects and direction. The lengthy story that follows becomes a drawn-out character piece with courtroom scenes, legal battles, and most of all personal battles with the demons of drink and drugs. Washington is superb, which is no surprise, but it is a surprise to see British actress Kelly Reilly - previously best known for fare like EDEN LAKE - equally convincing as a fellow addict. The film is made with stylish and professionalism, and draws to an end in a very satisfying way.