Friday, November 23, 2012

Washington gives intense performance in powerful 'Flight'

"Flight," a definite contender for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, opens with a terrifying, gripping plane crash, but it turns out that the aftermath of this crash is far more intense than the event itself.

Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington), the pilot of the doomed plane, manages to crash land his malfunctioning plane in a way that, amazingly, kills only six of the 102 passengers and crew members. His extraordinary feat, which includes temporarily flying the plane inverted, should make him a hero, but the investigation of the incident reveals that he was drunk while flying.

Directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script by John Gatins, the film becomes a character study of a tragically flawed man who does a heroic act. He is a highly functional alcoholic, who we painfully watch start drinking over and over again.

The president of pilot's union (Bruce Greenwood) and a lawyer (Don Cheadle) for the airline are quite willing to cover up the fact that Whip was drunk while piloting the plane. His impaired state had nothing to do with the crash, and if he hadn't been in that cockpit everyone would've died. But Whip needs help and covering up his actions isn't about protecting him for jail time, but merely saving the face of the union and airline.

In a parallel story we see the struggles of Nicole (Kelly Reilly), a drug addict who overdoses at the same time of the crash. Nicole and Whip meet in the hospital as they are healing from their respective traumas.

Their first encounter is sneaking a smoke in the hospital stairwell. They are joined by a cancer patient (James Badge Dale) with only days to live. It terms of story, this character, who only appears in this one scene, seems extraneous, but he adds color and helps to introduce important themes into the film. It is the kind of scene that a lesser filmmaker may have seen as non-essential, but it is a credit to Zemeckis that he sees the value of a scene that exists only to build character and mood.

Reilly, who audiences may recognize as Mrs. Watson in the new "Sherlock Holmes" movies, gives a vulnerable and honest performance as a broken woman trying to pull the piece of her life back together. Her performance feels heart-wrenchingly real and is full of subtle moments. She has an eye twitch that is a brief moment that stayed with me as a representation of the authenticity of her performance.

The relationship that develops between Reilly and Washington is the heart of the film. Whip, despite his drinking problems, is a good guy and wants to help and save Mary from her terrible life. He takes her in and she tries to take care of him at his worst, but, as she tries to get clean and sober, it becomes harder for her to stand by him.

Washington, an always reliably great actor, gives one of his most exposed performances. He digs deep into a complex character. He makes Whip charming and likable at the same time that he is frustrating and infuriating. Whip is a man with many great qualities that often get lost in a sea of booze.

On a technical level, per usual from the director of such films as "Back to the Future," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," and "Castaway," the film is incredibly well crafted.

The visual effects in that opening plane crash are flawless and believable. It is a striking opening, but it is the way Zemeckis handles the movie's raw emotional conflicts that linger far longer. Zemeckis and Washington aren't afraid to create a protagonist that is often difficult to like.

As was true of "Forrest Gump," Zemeckis has populated the soundtrack with songs that always fit the moments just right. The theme song for a drug dealer character played by John Goodman is perfection.

"Flight" is often a difficult to watch, but a rewarding film. The film builds to Whip facing a hearing about the crash. How this scene concludes is one of the most powerful moments in any film this year.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm amazed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that's equally educative and interesting, and without a doubt, you've hit the nail on the head. The issue is something which not enough people are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy I stumbled across this in my search for something relating to this.

Here is my website ... fred perry online outlet

Anonymous said...

Hello! I simply want to give you a big thumbs up for the
excellent info you've got right here on this post. I'll
be coming back to your site for more soon.

Take a look at my web page; free work from home
my web page > help me start a business

Anonymous said...

Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can
survive a 40 foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation.
My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views.

I know this is totally off topic but I had to share it with someone!


Also visit my blog post krankenversicherung vergleich privat

Anonymous said...

Asking questions are in fact pleasant thing if you are not understanding anything entirely, however this
article offers fastidious understanding even.


Also visit my web page ... mortgage refinance for bad credit

Anonymous said...

Having read this I believed it was really enlightening.
I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this article
together. I once again find myself spending way too much
time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!


my weblog :: privat krankenversicherung preisvergleich

Anonymous said...

Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn't appear. Grrrr... well I'm not writing all
that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!



Here is my weblog Make Money Online with google

Anonymous said...

obviously like your web-site however you need to take a look at
the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling
problems and I in finding it very bothersome to tell the reality however I'll certainly come back again.

Feel free to visit my web-site - business home opportunity

Anonymous said...

I got this site from my pal who informed me on the topic
of this site and now this time I am browsing this website and reading very informative articles
at this place.

Here is my website - installment loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

I've been surfing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.

Here is my page: credit union student loans consolidation

Anonymous said...

Hi! I've been reading your weblog for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Dallas Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the good work!

my blog :: magento Hosting
My web site > southwest vacations

Anonymous said...

Its like you learn my mind! You seem to grasp a lot about this, like you wrote the e book in it or something.
I believe that you could do with a few percent to force the message house
a bit, however other than that, this is wonderful blog.

A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.

my web site :: clickbank affiliate tools

Anonymous said...

For hottest information you have to visit world wide web
and on web I found this site as a finest site for most up-to-date updates.


Feel free to visit my web blog :: Private Krankenversicherung Tarife

Anonymous said...

I like the valuable information you provide in your articles.
I'll bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I am quite sure I will learn many new stuff right here! Good luck for the next!

my blog; private krankenversicherung familientarif
my page - beiträge private krankenkasse

Anonymous said...

It's perfect time to make some plans for the future and it's time to be happy.
I've read this post and if I may I want to recommend you some fascinating things or suggestions. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I desire to learn more things about it!

Review my page: schnellkredite ohne schufa

Anonymous said...

After I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked on
the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now
every time a comment is added I get four emails with the exact same comment.
Is there an easy method you can remove me from that service?

Kudos!

Also visit my page :: bad credit home loan refinance

Anonymous said...

Woah! I'm really enjoying the template/theme of this website. It's simple,
yet effective. A lot of times it's hard to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and appearance. I must say you have done a excellent job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super fast for me on Firefox. Outstanding Blog!

Feel free to surf to my blog post - home mortgage rate

Anonymous said...

Woah! I'm really enjoying the template/theme of this website. It's simple, yet
effective. A lot of times it's hard to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and appearance. I must say you have done a excellent job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super fast for me on Firefox. Outstanding Blog!

My weblog - home mortgage rate
Also see my site: bad credit refinance home

Anonymous said...

I was suggested this website by way of my cousin.
I'm no longer sure whether or not this submit is written by him as no one else understand such targeted about my trouble. You're amazing!
Thanks!

Also visit my web site ... business ideas usa

Anonymous said...

We're a group of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your website provided us with valuable info to work on. You've done an impressive job and our entire community will be thankful to you.


Also visit my blog post; reseller web hosting business

Anonymous said...

Superb post but I was wondering if you could write a litte
more on this subject? I'd be very thankful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Many thanks!

Here is my weblog: wechsel gesetzliche krankenversicherung

Anonymous said...

I like it whenever people get together and share opinions.
Great website, keep it up!

My homepage: make money From clickbank

Anonymous said...

Hello to every single one, it's really a nice for me to pay a quick visit this web site, it consists of important Information.

Look into my web site ... private krankenversicherung kündigen

Anonymous said...

This is my first time pay a visit at here and i
am actually impressed to read all at single place.


my webpage - edisto island vacation rentals

Anonymous said...

Hi, this weekend is nice designed for me,
as this moment i am reading this enormous educational
paragraph here at my residence.

Also visit my web site: http://perspektiventage.de/index.php/benutzer:sidneygea

Anonymous said...

Hi, I would like to subscribe for this web site to obtain
latest updates, so where can i do it please assist.

my page :: click through the up coming website

Anonymous said...

Hi I am so excited I found your blog page, I really found you by error, while I
was browsing on Yahoo for something else, Anyhow I am
here now and would just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and a all round interesting blog
(I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to browse it all at the minute but I have book-marked
it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal
more, Please do keep up the excellent work.

Here is my web page ... Bemessungsgrenze private krankenversicherung

Anonymous said...

I'm gone to say to my little brother, that he should also go to see this webpage on regular basis to obtain updated from newest reports.

Feel free to surf to my web page mortgage loans with bad credit