Flight is a plane crash mixed with an uninteresting story

Rating: 5/10 (18 November 2012)

"Not even Washington can make this man who makes bad decisions likable enough to watch for the whole time" Robert Zeimkis returns to live action films, his last one was Cast Away in 2000. This time he directs Denzel Washington as Whip Whitaker a pilot who we are first introduced in a bed drunk just before he is to fly a plane. On this flight the airplane malfunctions and he has to land it in a field. After the crash Whip has to answer for his actions leading to a discovery why he has ended up this way.
Zeimkis has made his return and very present throughout the film is his visual style. His direction starts off strong coming to a peek with the plane crash then taking a step back for these actors to show what they can do with this material.
Washington plays the main character of Whip and he is near creating one of his best in such a long time. The character he plays is a departure for him because from start to finish he is a very unlike able person because he is unable to except consequences for his actions. John Goodman is another standout in his two short scenes as Whips drug dealer, he provides some comedy for this dark story. Kelly Reilly plays Nicole a drug addict who meets whip leading to the two starting up a relationship. She becomes wasted after some time and just disappears from the story for no reason.
The film overall is a let down because the ending was did not match the storytelling. Whip would never have confessed even if he was in a hotel room with so much alcohol. Washington was fine but the film did not handle alcohol abuse the way it should be.
MOVIE GRADE: C (MVP: Denzel Washington)