Flight

I managed to watch Flight yesterday. The only things I knew about this movie going into it was that it was about planes and Denzel Washington starred in in. This created conflict for me, as I generally enjoy plane movies but am not a huge Denzel fan. Nonetheless, I took the plunge.

Flight - Movie Poster

For the first half hour, I had the impression that this movie was set in the early 90's. I'm not sure if it is because of the soundtrack used or the way the pilot was so casual with substance abuse (I expect frequent drug and alcohol tests in any workplace like that these days!). My next thought was that this movie will never make the cut for anyone in charge of choosing in-flight entertainment!

The flight scene was relatively early in the movie and I enjoyed it. In talking with my boss today, we discussed the Hollywood factual inaccuracies (dumping fuel, handle that cant be reached, one more I can't mention without spoiling the movie!). It felt like talking about trains with my dad - He dismisses the plausibility of most train movies as he works in the railways. Nonetheless, if you suspend your disbelief, the flight scenes are outstanding.

The story was however not focused on aviation. It was more on how Denzel (Whip) deals with substance abuse and his interactions with friends, family and coworkers. It was more of a drama than an action film. There was quite a heavy religious undertone as well, however, this subplot was left unanswered. Whip was an interesting role for Denzel - I don't think I've ever seen him quite this rough before and there were a couple of other noteworthy celebrities in smaller roles.

I enjoyed the movie but found it a little predictable once you made it past the first half hour. It is quite a long movie but not 2 hours wasted.