Book it! "Flight" is worth the trip!

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2012)

The plight of "Flight" could have been more focused on the disaster of an airplane going down in fuels and how it impacted the crew and the passengers, in more of the "disaster" genre category. But I am glad that renowned Director Robert Zemeckis kept the movie more focused on depicting one man's denial of his profound alcohol dependency problem. And no, this movie is not a sequel to Zemeckis' "The Polar Express" so you can take out "The Polar Beer Express" as a title that could have worked. Anyways, that man is airline pilot Whip Whitaker piloted to perfection by the great Denzel Washington. Whip likes to whip it good on the bourbon, whiskey, beer, vodka, and the occasional line of cocaine. The only problem (actually, not the only problem) is that Whip gets a potential whipping when its revealed through toxicology reports that he piloted a plane more than legally drunk that took the lives of six and injured many, including Whip. The first portion of "Flight" is on how Whitaker was able to maneuver a defected plane from crashing; and due to his expert piloting skills, he was able to land the plane in an open field even through its rough landing. But when you are high in the skies as a kite, and you are drunk as a skunk in the pit, it's just not a good thing. After the crash, Whitaker befriends a heroin addict Nicole in the hospital where he is staying due to his injuries in the crash. Nicole is a "down & out of luck" woman who has no one else to turn to; that is until Whip takes a liking to her and invites her into his own cockpit, I mean secluded farm home of course. Whip is in a whip of trouble due to the negligence of piloting the plane drunk, so his lawyer buddy Charlie Anderson contracts the services of Union Counsel Hugh Lang so he can Lang I mean land himself out of this mess. Zemeckis takes some great shots of "Flight" in focusing on a man's constant denial of his alcoholism even though the protagonist's dire situations get worse and worse. And that is what maneuvers "Flight" into authenticity, even through a bit of predictable forecasting of how it all turns out. Kudos also goes out to Zemeckis' co-pilot, who would be Screenwriter John Gatins for his strong scribe of "Flight". Denzel Washington's starring performance is one the best of his stellar career, and should land him yet another Best Actor Oscar nomination. John Goodman yet delivers another show-stopping supporting acting performance as Whip's drug dealer pal Harling Mays. And the rest of the supporting thespian crew of "Flight" was not half bad. Kelly Reilly was solid as Nicole. And veteran actors Bruce Greenwood and Don Cheadle added more to their impressive thespian resumes with their legal & good work here portraying lawyers Charlie Anderson and Hugh Lang. Oscar-winner Melissa Leo was sturdy in her brief role as a hardball investigator. "Flight" is not dead on arrival and in the ends in departs into a satisfying trip even with the heavy subject matter. So book your next cinematic trip on this "Flight". ***** Excellent