moives: Flight is the first live action movie by Robert Zemeckis since he directed Cast Away. And what a return it was. Zemeckis has spent the past twelve years since Cast Away making family friendly computer animated movies like Polar Express, intent on pushing the boundaries of the visual aspect of film making. With Flight he not only came back to live actors but to the world of adults.
Flight is the story of William "Whip" Whitaker, played by Denzel Washington. He is a pilot who is faced with an investigation after he lands a plane that breaks down mid flight that he manages to land more or less successfully, saving the lives of 96 of the 102 crew and passengers on board. He does so in a daring way that makes his case even more compelling. In order to level out the plane, which was in a nose dive, he inverts it to take away some of the downward force of the plane. I have no idea whether or not this is remotely plausible or makes sense physically, but man oh man was that something to see on the screen. Whitaker's story is complicated by the fact that he is an alcoholic As the pressure of the investigation into the state of his well being during the events leading up to the crash mounts we see that the story is not that of a plane crash but that of a man in the throes of a serious problem, and needing for the sake of his life even more so than the sake of justice for those who died in the crash to get help.
Flight is littered with great supporting actors. Bruce Greenwood plays Whitaker's union rep and old friend trying to help and advise him through the investigation. Don Cheadle plays his high powered attorney from Chicago torn between watching his client be both self destructive and be destructive to those around him and winning his case. John Goodman is the comic relief as Whip's old buddy and drug dealer who shows up to steal scenes and lend an immoral helping hand whenever it is needed (let us just stop and marvel at how great a year Goodman is having. First he is in Best Picture winner The Artist, then he plays the role of ultimate scene stealer in two of the years best movies: Flight and Argo). And probably the best of the supporting cast is Kelly Reilly. She plays Whitaker's fresh out of rehab girlfriend. Clearly sought by Whitaker out to be brought back to her vices after they meet in the hospital which she is at for rehab, she plays the role of a former addict beautifully This is not because of the addiction but because of the balancing act of her life. She cares about Whip and is worried for him and wants to help. She is afraid of who she once was and what being around him could do. And she wants to give in, not only because of her addiction but because of the man she cares about asking her to.
But all of those brilliant performances pale in comparison to Washington. He begins the movie basically as the coolest man alive. He wakes up in bed with a bottle of beer next to him and line of coke ready with a remarkably beautiful and naked woman in his hotel room that one can't help but think about in the context of what the previous night had been. He then takes that last swig and line and then goes off to pilot a plane in distress where he saves people by inverting the plane, a stunt that Cheadle's character says that when tried in simulation the pilots killed everyone else on the plane. As we watch Washington throughout the movie, his portrayal of his drinking problem his remarkable. His futile lies are frightening and evident to all of the characters around him and the audience. His total lack of self control is unsettling as he stumbles around and slurs romantic notions about his life as a pilot. But the most amazing thing is the way he handles the moments in the movie when he isn't drinking. As a result of his hero status for saving so many peoples lives and the ongoing investigation about the crash he is faced with tension and stress everywhere he goes. The elegance of Washington's performance as he navigates these situations is unmatched. The subtle movements, the tonguing of the inside of his lip, the tapping of his cane as stress mounts in situations is always evident. But they are not evident in the way we typically see them. They are not the ticks and twitches of a man fighting an urge. They are the ticks and twitches of a man just wanting to give in and knowing that he needs to escape into his demons. He is never fighting. He is always looking for a way to give in. Though the movie is ultimately the story of Whitaker's decent to rock bottom, Washington never gives us a moment where we don't feel like he is even in control. Rock bottom is his inevitability. He is probably already there, he just has always been able to get by and make good enough and lie to those who love him enough to never stand up to him.
Flight was by all accounts a good movie. It had a trademark Zemeckis visual moment that I have both never seen before and will never forget. It had a great, fun cast. It had a soundtrack filled with such great classic rock it was cheesy and predictable from scene to scene. It even had some great morality at the end as its main character found a reason to try and right all his wrongs. But the thing that really did make the movie great was Denzel. Not only was his performance so great for the reasons stated above, but because he was exactly what he has been for the past 25 years: a movie star. He owns the screen with his authority and presence in a way that only about five other actors can(Hanks, Cruise, Pitt, Clooney, OK he is one of five). He blows all of the other great actors out of all of their scenes and makes them seem almost weak and small in his commanding presence. And he was blowing great actors like Cheadle and Greenwood off the stage, not an easy feat. Flight may sneak into my top fifteen films of the year, but Denzel may be number one when it is all said and done in February.
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