I call for a retrial...

Rating: 6/10 (23 November 2013)

I HATE alcohol. Never been able to touch the stuff. Give me a glass of cranberry juice anyday. But some people.... live for it. depend on it. It's like their liquid nurse. They don't care if it makes them swing from chandeliers and say outrageous things about the bosses wife... if their life is rubbish and nothing is going right, it's a lifesaver.
'Whip', the lead character in Flight, is a hero. He saves over a hundred lives in a crash that most would suggest was a complete write-off, only losing six. But he is also an alcoholic. The very first scene, we see him gulping wine and snorting on coke, after a night of passion with an air hostess. The plane he later pilots is a death trap which was always destined to fall apart, but thanks to his expertise, the minimum amount of casualties were sustained. As I said, the guy is a hero. But thanks to a hospital toxicology report, the results show him high on drugs and booze. This had nothing to do with the jet being patently unsuitable for flying, but thanks to the circumstances, the investigators are able to pin some on the blame on him... to cover up the airline's own shortcomings.
So, what begins as an edge-of-your-seat nailbiter as the plane descends into a vertical dive, quickly transforms into a sombre drama... as Washington's character reflects on his addictions and comes to terms with his failures as a father, son and general all-round person, while the media and law enforcement officers sniff about. He befriends a fellow patient in the ward where he's being treated for his injuries and, but she is unable to stop him from sinking into further depression... and consequently leaves. His only real friend seems to be his overweight dealer, who seems to be there on cue every time he needs a hit of 'the good stuff'. His life is basically a mess. He HAS to keep it together though, for a hearing which will determine his future, whether he's a free man or a jailbird.
And this is where 'the big moment' occurs. Where he realises he has 'to do the right thing'. You have to applaud his morality, but on the other hand... the man is a fool. He does NOT deserve the eventual fate that befalls him, regardless of him going on about 'redemption'. Who does he owe anyway, with the possible exception of his ex-wife and son? Why should a man who rescued scores of people from a fiery death, take any responsibility for it? What he was on at the time was irrelevant... It didn't impair his ability to do his job... In fact, it may even have improved it. But to throw him under the bus like that... disgraceful. He might think he has a lot to learn going by his final monologue, but if you ask me... it's the authorities that need to have a good hard to at themselves.
Sorry, in my tirade I forgot to comment on the quality of the work being discussed. Acting good, story okay, film maybe runs for a bit longer than necessary and the nude girlie has a nice uh, 'physique' (Judging by all the lingering, the cameraman agrees too). But it all boils down to the fundamental point the director is trying to make, which I disagree with in the strongest possible terms. In fact, the main message I got is that American justice SUCKS. 6/10