Flight (2012); drama film review

Poster artwork for the drama film Flight.

Admitting Addiction by Linh

Director Robert Zemeckis directed a 1999 documentary called Robert Zemeckis on Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th Century, and his latest drama Flight, depicts issues associated with these as “addictions”, such as the lead character in the film has an alcohol addiction and uses drugs to remain alert. Zemeckis also includes underlying religious elements to the film’s narrative that involves questions of faith and self-belief in combatting various addictions such as alcoholism and drugs.

DITCHING DRUGS: Whip (Denzel Washington) and Nicole attempt to kick their drug/alcohol addiction together at his farm house in the film Flight. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Flight opens with Nicole (Kelly Reilly), a freelance photographer struggling to pay her rent and craving drugs. Nicole visits a drug dealer to get some cocaine and then she accidentally overdoses after injecting herself with drugs. Meanwhile, William ‘Whip’ Whitaker (Denzel Washington), a seasoned airline pilot, is in a hotel room with a work colleague Katerina (Nadine Velazquez) after a long night of drinking and love-making. He snorts cocaine, which he gets from his friend Harling Mays (John Goodman), to wake himself up before heading off to work. Whip appears very alert and attentive in the cockpit alongside his co-pilot Ken (Brian Geraghty), and is feeling upbeat about the flight. Soon after take-off, the plane experiences turbulence as they fly through a storm and Whip takes the plane safely away from the heavy storm clouds.

Everything on the flight seems to be going well with only 45 minutes until the plane lands, so Whip sneakily pours a few bottles of vodka into his orange juice and takes a nap in his seat.  Ken suddenly wakes up Whip as the plane experiences major mechanical malfunctions causing the plane to spiral downwards with the pilots losing control of the plane. Whip uses unconventional and heart-stopping methods to get the plane to land safely on a patch of land near a church, by flying the plane upside down without its engines. The plane’s wing smashes the steeple off the church before landing, and only six of the 102 people onboard died.

FATAL FLIGHT: Katerina (Nadine Velazquez) and Margaret (Tamara Tunie) strap themselves tight for a deadly dive in the film Flight. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Whip is hailed a hero for saving so many lives but the second part of the film is the most dramatic and intriguing as an investigation is launched to seek answers on what really happened on the plane. Whip’s friend and airline union representative Charlie (Bruce Greenwood) teams up with lawyer Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) to ensure Whip gets cleared of any charges, accusations and allegations. Hugh even manages to render Whip’s toxicology report as inadmissible on technical grounds. The majority of the film depicts Whip’s internal struggle in dealing with his alcoholism and how his choice to deny he has an addiction leads to the breakdown of his marriage, his dependency on cocaine, and the dangerous effects alcohol/drugs have on his performance at work.

CONSTANT CRAVING: Whip (Denzel Washington) seeks out his friend Harling (John Goodman) for drugs while in hospital in the film Flight. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Denzel Washington’s performance as the alcoholic pilot Whip Whitaker has deservedly earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Lead Actor. Washington does plenty to evoke sympathy from the audience while not portraying Whip as the villain but as a regular man who is a skilled pilot with a hidden addiction. 

The film's supporting cast members are wonderful with John Goodman as the always perky and chirpy drug supplier Harling; Don Cheadle as lawyer Hugh Lang who is eager to win and work for Whip because he admires Whip’s valour; Kelly Reilly is gorgeous as Nicole who shows Whip that it is possible to overcome his addiction like she did; Brian Geraghty is great as the nervous co-pilot Ken who believes the plane crash was an “act of God” and the many lives saved from the crash was also part of “God’s plan”; Melissa Leo appears briefly near the end but she is outstanding as Ellen Block who questions Whip at the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) Hearing about the crash.

LEGAL LOOPHOLES: Pilot union representative Charlie (Bruce Greenwood) and lawyer Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) consider ways to avoid prison for Whip (Denzel Washington) in the film Flight. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Flight is a human drama of how a person’s choices can affect so many others, and being with another person who has a similar condition can help to shine light on a problem that is ignored or too painful to face by oneself. This film has reportedly been criticised for lacking realism by allowing a substance abuse pilot to continue flying a plane and depicting a pilot successfully flying a plane and saving lives while on drugs and alcohol. However, the religious element of the story was also criticised due to attempts to make the plot plausible by giving the pilot some God-given talent and instinct that enabled him to safely land the plane despite his substance abuse problem. Flight is an exciting ride in the first twenty minutes then turns into a riveting ride as investigations into the plane crash and Whip’s apparent emotional-numbness due to drugs and alcoholism raises more questions than answers.

MEDIA MATTERS: Whip (Denzel Washington) tries carefully to stonewall all the media's questions about the crash investigation in the film Flight. Image: Paramount Pictures.

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Writer: John Gatins (screenplay)

Cast: Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood, Tamara Tunie, Brian Geraghty, John Goodman, Timothy Adams, Darius Woods, Dylan Kussman, Adam Tomei, Conor O’Neill, Ravi Kapoor, Nadine Velazquez, Garcelle Beauvais, Hal Williams (voice), Ron Caldwell, James Badge Dale, Ric Reitz, Dane Davenport, Charlie E. Schmidt, Boni Yanagisawa, Justin Martin,Tommy Kane, Jason Benjamin, Piers Morgan, Jim Tilmon

Producers: Cherylanne Martin, Robert Zemeckis, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkey, Walter F. Parkes, Jack Rapke, Heather Kelton

Original Music Composer: Alan Silverstri

Cinematographer: Don Burgess (Director of Photography)

Film Editor: Jeremiah O’Driscoll

Production: Nelson Coates (Production Designer), David Lazan (Art Director), James Edward Ferrell Jr. (Set Decorator)

Costume Designer: Louise Frogley

Running Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes