Flight soars

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2013)

After almost 10 years of fannying about with motion capture technology, Robert Zemeckis returns to live action with Flight, a tale about a plane crash and the subsequent investigation into the pilot of the ill-fated crash. Said pilot is an alcoholic, which as you can imagine is where the majority of the drama spins from.
If anyone knows how to make great blockbuster entertainment, it's Zemeckis. The man is responsible for Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit but also some fine Oscar- bait in the form of Forrest Gump and Cast Away. Flight somewhat melds both sensibilities, being in some instances a terrific adrenaline-fueled spectacle whilst also being unashamedly dramatic. Much like his previous work, special effects are fully exercised to their potential but more importantly grounded firmly within the structure of the story, the air crash never quite being the centre of the movie.
The centre of the film comes in the form of Denzel Washington, an alcoholic, cocaine- snorting womaniser, who is found at the scene of the crash with alcohol in his blood. What follows the initial roller-coaster of the disaster is a more low-key depiction of his troubled psyche. His fragmented family life, his alcoholism and his uncommunicative nature are all portrayed with a delicately which makes this a cut above the rest in terms of blockbusters. On the other hand, Kelly Reilly's character verges on the 'pointless sub-plot' category, her caricature of a heroin addict contradicting the otherwise convincing dramatisation of addiction. Thankfully, the remainder of the supporting cast make up for it; Don Cheadle and Bruce Greenwood playing their roles with enough understatement to let Washington shine through, and John Goodman popping up every once in a while to provide laughs and take the lime-light off Denzel.
Flight can best be summed up as an above-average blockbuster with a terrific performance at its heart. It surprised me with how serious it too itself whilst still lacking pretension. Highly recommended.