It was interesting to watch people get up and leave the theatre about 20 minutes into FLIGHT. Anyone coming to the theatre for an action film about a plane crash is going to be dazed by the powerful, serious, sobering 138 minute flight. The real wreck here is Captain Whip Whitaker, played brilliantly by Denzel Washington. Whip manages some incredible, one-of-a-kind thinking that saves most of the passengers and crew aboard a short Orlando to Atlanta flight. The aircrash sequence is AMAZING and harrowing and incredibly realistic. The tension and suspense that director Robert Zemeckis manages to pull off, when you KNOW the plane is going to crash from any commercial or trailer, is admirable. In the aftermath of the crash, Whip is a hero, plain and simple. However, as details begin to emerge of the 72 hours before the crash, the hero polish begins to fade and reveal something much more disturbing underneath. This is an amazing performance by Denzel. Real, painful, cocky, tortured and bare, look for Denzel to be a strong contender for Best Actor come Oscar time. Newcomer Kelly Reilly is terrific as addict Nicole, in Denzel's flight path figuratively and literally and Brian Geraghty makes a big impression in a small role as a cancer patient. Reliable actors Bruce Greenwood and Don Cheadle are great and John Goodman puts in a BIG performance as Denzel's key enabler. Goodman was kind of an odd fit in the film. He is welcome comic relief in a dark film, but he comes off a bit over the top. At 138 minutes, this is a long, dark ride but FLIGHT soars thanks to Denzel's brilliant performance. Like 'There Will Be Blood", it's a fantastic character study of someone with very few redeeming qualities. A really interesting, TURBULENT, adult ride and an A flight.
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