Indeed, the first scene of the film features full-frontal
female nudity. I have no problem with this,
but it was quite a shock to see Zemeckis throw that in right out of the
gate. The nudity and the scene in
general serve a dual purpose: to show us that he can still tell adult stories
and that our pro/antagonist, Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), is a very
messed up individual. Whip is an airline
pilot who has a penchant for alcohol, drugs and a very attractive flight
attendant. It is within this very first
scene that we’re introduced to all three of these elements that will shape and
impact the rest of the film.
See, Whip didn’t sleep at all the night before we’re
introduced to him. He then goes on a 9am
flight, still drunk/high from the night before and flies his plane. Mid-flight, while Whip was napping, the plane
begins malfunctioning, resulting in one of the most gripping and intense
plane-crash sequences I’ve ever seen, rivaling LOST, The Grey, and
Zemeckis’ own Cast Away. Whip decides to invert the plane. Yeah, his idea is so crazy that the flight
control operates asks him to repeat his statement. Inverting the plane allows it to stabilize
and glide to an empty field where they can land. Whip successfully lands the plane, losing
only six lives of the 100+ passengers and crew, including the flight attendant (Nadine
Velazquez) he was romantically involved with.
What follows is a fantastic film revolving around the
fallout of the crash, including the discovery of alcohol and cocaine in Whip’s
blood after a post-crash toxicology screening and the eventual NTSB
investigation. Whip falls for a
recovering drug/alcohol addict (Kelly Reilly), who tries to get him clean (he
is almost continuously inebriated during the course of the entire film. It’s this
behavior that almost turns Whip into an antagonist; while I was rooting for him
the whole way, his alcoholic tendencies had me questioning my support of
him. No, his abuse issues didn’t cause
the plane to crash, but the mere fact that he would fly a plane while
drunk/high makes us question his moral code.
Denzel Washington puts in one helluva performance as
Whip. His charisma and charm just flow
off the screen. Whip experiences the gamut
of emotions over the course of the film, and Denzel’s performance makes us feel
them too. Kelly Reilly, Bruce
Greenwood, and Don Cheadle are perfectly cast and complement Denzel’s
performance beautifully. The other real
standout is John Goodman’s Harling Mays.
He’s an old friend of Whip’s who happens to be his drug dealer. He has a relatively small amount of screen
time (in just a handful of scenes), but when he shows up in the third act the
shenanigans that follow make for one of the most memorable moments in any film
this year. I was literally on my feet
with shock (don’t worry, it was just me and a friend in the theater). Goodman’s had quite the run in the last year,
putting in stellar turns in Red State, The
Artist, Argo, and now Flight.
Here’s to hoping that this great streak continues in the years to come!
I just really cannot praise this film enough. From beginning to end I was engaged and
entertained. There really isn’t much
more than I can ask from a film. Welcome
back to live action, Mr. Zemeckis. If Flight
is any indication of what we can expect from his future projects, to say that I
am excited would be an understatement.
Please just go see it.
Flight is a
brilliant return to live-action for Robert Zemeckis, featuring one of the best
performances of the year.
The Bearded Bullet
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