An investigation of the mind of an alcoholic, not of the airplane crash

Rating: 7/10 (1 November 2012)

"An airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling." I went to a screening of this movie based on this short IMDb synopsis of the movie. Having not viewed any other promotional material for this movie, I went in expecting a movie focusing on the investigation of this airplane crash. What I came to realize is that it is a movie about the investigation of an alcoholic.
Denzel Washington's character Whip Whitaker is portrayed as an exceptional yet alcoholic airline pilot. The movie revolved around Whitaker and his alcohol and drug problems, yet it does not investigate any of the problems that cause the plane crash or the character's hardships. Sure, we are allowed a glimpse into the life of an alcoholic, but the movie does not provide any reason to feel sympathy for the character. We do not know how he got to be that way in the first place.
The movie is predictable in the ways that we would expect of a Hollywood movie about substance-abuse recovery. The story culminates to the character's epiphany that he has a drug problem and that he needs to recover from it to have a fulfilling life.
Overall, it was an entertaining movie, but it my view, it is a rental or a Netflix watch.