DVD Review: Flight

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The rule of The First 20; The Last 10.
 
Actually, I made that rule up, but those are seriously the only redeeming parts of this movie.
 
Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) is an alcoholic airline pilot, whom after a night of booze and cocaine manages to land a doomed aircraft and save 96 out of 102 people. It's a miracle. No other pilot could've done what he did. Oh, but the hospital took his blood after the crash and found out about all that booze and coke. Now he could face jail time.
 
It's a damn shame that Flight ends up being so boring, because the first 20 minutes of this film are some of the most intense minutes I've ever witnessed. I nearly cried for the horror these people went through. The film gives us a great performance from Washington, but also gives us a kind of useless side story about a heroin addict (Kelly Reilly) who befriends Whitaker while he tries to kick his addiction. His final scene in the court room is moving, but it's not enough to erase the past hour that dragged its feet through the mud.
 
Recommended: No. Though it is on Netflix Instant at the moment, so check out the first 20 minutes.
 
Grade: C
 
Memorable Quote: "Don't tell me how to lie about my drinking, okay? I know how to lie about my drinking. I've been lying about my drinking my whole life." - Whip (Denzel Washington)

Comments

  1. Dan O.December 5, 2013 at 4:51 PM

    Good review Brittani. Washington's performance is what anchors this movie the way it needed to, in order for it to hit its emotional marks. However, the ending does sort of seem like a cop-out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 6, 2013 at 7:04 AM

      It was kind of predictable, but it is what also sort of woke me up. Everything was really boring up until then.

      Delete
  2. s.December 6, 2013 at 12:42 PM

    Washington is my win from last year, I really loved his performance here. I agree Reilly's character was useless but it's admirable that she managed to pull off a good performance in spite of that.

    ReplyDelete

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