Have you seen the movie Flight yet? If you haven’t, go see it. It is a captivating movie in which Denzel Washington plays an airline pilot that ends up in jail because of an airplane crash that happened while he was operating the plane under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Flight received very positive reviews from critics and viewers alike, even receiving some nominations for major awards including two Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe nomination. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received an approval rating of 77%, Metacritic’s critics gave the film a 76%, and it got 7.4 out of 10 stars on IMDB. Roger Ebert rated the film with four out of four stars.
Movie Plot
In the movie, Denzel plays an airplane pilot with a serious drug and alcohol problem. Although extremely skilled at his job, he continues to let his addictions get in the way of his career. The film goes through several instances in which Denzel’s character is plagued by his drug and alcohol addictions. The film’s main plot line centers around a particular flight in which Denzel’s character is heavily intoxicated while flying the plane. He ends up taking a nap because of his intoxication, letting his copilot (played by Brian Geraghty, known for his role in Hurt Locker) take over the flight. Denzel’s character is waken by the plane going into a steep nosedive. Despite his intoxication, he is able to right the plane and land it safely, saving 96 out of 102 people that were on board the flight.
The film continues on to depict Denzel’s character’s experience through first being named a hero, and then his intoxication coming out and him being charged with drug and manslaughter charges. It also shows his continued and increased drug and alcohol overuse during this process. He ends up serving a minimum five-year sentence in prison.
Denzel’s Performance
I think the reason why this film received such great reviews wasn’t as much on the storyline, or even the directing. A majority of the praise has to be given to Denzel. Just like we have all come to expect from Denzel, he provides us with a realistic image in his portrayal of an alcoholic and drug addict. We see those struggles in his role. We see the hurt. We truly view him as an alcoholic, not as someone trying to play one.
And the critics agree with me. Here are some of the things that some critics have said about Denzel’s performance:
-Flight “provides Denzel Washington with one of his meatiest, most complex roles, and he flies with it.” -Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter
-“A thoughtful and provocative character study propelled by a compelling performance from Denzel Washington.” -Rotten Tomatoes
-“… a brave and tortured performance by Denzel Washington… one of his very best.” – Roger Ebert
Film’s End
At the end of the film, we see Denzel’s character in prison serving his minimum five-year sentence. We hear him say to a support group that he doesn’t regret doing the right thing (when he admitted to flying while intoxicated, even though he was given the opportunity during his hearing to pin the empty alcohol bottles on a flight attendant who died during the crash). He says that he finally feels free. We also see his budding relationship with his son.
We are able to see that, although his addictions landed him in jail, that ended up being the best thing for him because it gave him the experience he needed to finally seek the help he needed, helping him to “feel free,” work through his addictions, and finally begin to build a relationship with his son.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]Nicole writes for www.freedomdrugrehab.com. She enjoys helping people learn about addictions and how to overcome them.[/author_info] [/author]
