MYST Post #1: Flight

Flight, Robert Zemeckis's most recent drama starring Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood, John Goodman, and Kelly Reilly, has been nominated for two Academy Awards ranging from best actor (Denzel Washington) to best original screenplay, and it is no great surprise as to why. The film has every element necessary to produce a hit: talented actors, riveting action scenes, challenging plot, and engaging cinematography and editing. From start to finish, the film draws you in to the tumultuous life of airline pilot Whip Whitaker. Whitaker, whose life has been on a constant downward spiral of drugs and alcohol since his divorce years ago, is scheduled to pilot a flight to Atlanta early one morning. After a small bout of unanticipated turbulence, the flight continues on normally until the airplane malfunctions sending the 102 passenger commercial airline nose down in an uncontrolled dive. Miraculously, Whip makes the life-changing decision to invert the plane and roll it into an open field just out of reach of a nearby church. The pilot’s superb instinct and skill in landing the plane resulted in minimal loss of life and his new reputation as a local hero. That is, until investigation produces evidence of Whip’s blood alcohol level of 0.24 and traces of cocaine in his system that could transform the hero into a criminal on trial for multiple counts of manslaughter.

In my opinion, in terms of acting, I believe this movie to be one of Denzel Washington’s very best. As compared to many of his other acclaimed roles in films such as Remember the Titans, Safe House, and The Book of Eli, I found his role as Whip Whitaker to be much more complex. Washington amazes me in his ability to somehow find a way to portray an insincere and arrogant alcoholic while at the same time embodying a desperate man striving for change that is simply held down by his own shortcomings and addictions. In other words, even though Whitaker’s actions throughout the film may even be described as despicable, through Washington’s interpretation of his character, I was still able to sympathize with Whip because it was evident that the man he is while under the influence is not a man that he is proud of.

In addition, in terms of the directing, I found it incredibly interesting to note how Flight fits in with other films done by Zemeckis. Starting with the 1985 hit Back to the Future and leading up to Forrest Gump in 1994 and Cast Away in 2000 finally capping off with Flight in 2012, Zemeckis’s films progress in such a way that each becomes more and more pensive and though provoking than the last. In my opinion, this is a noteworthy accomplishment in Zemeckis’s directing seeing as this is a quality that truly sets apart good movies from great movies.

Next, in terms of the cinematography, I thought that there was great variety in terms of different techniques and styles that enhanced the film. For instance, one such scene that stands out in my mind is that of the initial crash. In this scene, the brilliant use of oblique/dutch angles truly helped to convey a sense of absurdity and panic as the pilot began to lose control of the aircraft. Also, in this same scene, the use of extreme close ups were very important because in the midst of so much chaos and disorientation, a close up was used to help the viewer focus on a certain aspect that was vital to the understanding of the situation such as the flashing levers in the cockpit or the rapidly decreasing numbers indicating altitude. This factor also was extremely important in creating and maintaining suspense throughout the scene. Finally, I also enjoyed the instability of the camera in this scene. By choosing to shoot the scene with this type of documentary style movement, it became much more engaging and realistic.  

Evidently, Flight is not a film for the lighthearted. Its strong message combines themes of accountability, morality, and justice, and leaves viewers truly analyzing and reflecting on what they just witnessed. Although there were some instances in which I found myself confused and wondering how certain scenes were relevant, I enjoyed the fact that everything came full circle by the end. Overall, I would give this film a 98%. While I would recommend this film to both teenage boys and girls equally, I feel like adults may enjoy it more simply for the reason that it truly makes you think and delve into the topic of right versus wrong in this particular situation.