Denzel delivers

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2013)

To me 'Flight' is an intriguing film in that it was not abundantly clear as to its target audience. Overall the film does work partly because of strong performances by the cast and good pacing from the Director (Robert Zemeckis).
Denzel Washington plays Captain Whip Whittaker who it is quite clear from scene one lives life on the edge. Bearing in mind Whittaker is an commercial airline pilot this is probably not exactly something he would like to mention on his CV. And he does not. Whittaker likes drink, drugs and women but this does not appear to affect his ability as a pilot and it is clear that the in flight crew are used to the drill of 'coffee and headache pills' before take off.
However, on one fateful day, after another heavy night with his current 'squeeze' who is also one of the in flight crew, God appears to test Whittaker's mettle. He finds he is saddled with an unknown 1st Officer and conditions are not exactly conducive for taking 106 people into the air in a steel cigar full of fuel. Whittaker spooks his 1st Officer by some unconventional flying to find 'clear sky' and hardly keeps his confidence high by having a mid flight doze. All seems well though until the plane starts its final approach and things go badly wrong with the plane proving that it should never have left the ground in the first place, storm or shine. Even with his foibles Whittaker still proves that he is a top pilot and brings the plane in to land with minimum loss of life.
So that is that.
Well not really. This is the point where the film moves from action to melodrama and the other plot line which had been tracking that of Whittaker and his team aligns. Nicole (Kelly Reilly), an addict, and Whittaker meet on a stairwell of the hospital for a sneaky smoke. Relationships are formed and soon Nicole is living with Whittaker but it is an uneasy relationship as Nicole fights to lose her demons and Whittaker seems happy to continue along a personal path of destruction. Even more so after the crash.
Key to Whittaker's life choice is the impending court case that results from the four fatalities from the fated flight. Was Whittaker incompetent through intoxication or was it truly 'The Hand of God'? A rather queasy visit with Whittaker's 1st Officer in hospital hints at the latter, the National Transportation Board though has other ideas.
Zemeckis gets strong performances from his cast and also shows that he has a sense of humour in the placement of various songs within the film, with Marvin Gaye warbling "What's Going On?" as Nicole decides to unexpectedly seduce Whittaker and "A Little Help From My Friends" as Whittaker is spruced in readiness for the NTSB hearing. John Goodman as Harling Mays the supplier of Whittaker's vices ("I'm on the list !") provides some excellent, almost scene stealing, cameo moments, but this is Denzel's film and he is worthy of star billing for his solid and certain performance.
7/10.