Review : Flight

1. Production year: 2012
2. Country: USA
3. Cert (UK): 15
4. Runtime: 138 mins
5. Directors: Robert Zemeckis
6. Cast: Adam Ciesielski, Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood, Carter Cabassa, Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Melissa Leo, Nadine Velazquez, Tamara Tunie, Timothy Adams

Flight begins with a scene in a morning of naked man named Whip Whitaker( Denzel Washington), a pilot, gets a phone call, and a naked woman, a stewardess, walking around in their bedroom. They swigged much alcohol at night before, and now they are little drunk and they have a flight later in that morning.

In the airplane, while coming into the cockpit, he teases Margareth, one of the stewardess that he has known for years. In the cockpit, he meets his young copilot. The young copilot makes a strange expression when he is looking at Whip. He is suspicious of Whip's drunk-looking, but he doesn't say any words. Then the airplane takes off with a little incident caused by rainstormy weather.but it can make it through thanks to  Whip's crazy act. The flight is on safe mode now. But another calamity comes over,and a little turbulence sends the airplane into freefall. And again by Whip's cool and briliant handling, the airplane crashes the open field with 'only' six dies of 106 passengers.
The rest of the movie tells how Whip faces the accusation of his negligence that caused that tragedy.
I was thrilled by the emergency landing scene, although I knew before from the sypnosis that the pilot would succed in saving almost all the passangers. It feels so real for me, and makes me afraid of having a flight now,haha.
But after that scene, a question appeared on my mind. How will the rest of story go?
Then I find out this is not merely an action movie. Flight is a moral drama. Whip is a hero who had saved many lives. If it was not Whip that is on the plane, there would be 106 funerals then. But, in contrary there is a hidden fact that Whip was drunk when he piloted the airplane. He did not obey the standard rule of aviation.Here came the dilemma.
In the mid of the story, we will be drawn into Whip's life. This where the complexity of the drama begins. You will hate Whip but at the same time you sympathize for him. Whip is a hero with many flaws on him.
Denzel did great job here. He is worthy of Oscar nomination for Best Lead Actor. Denzel succeded in presenting Whip as not-loveable hero. He played well as heavy-drinker and drugs-addict here.
Robert Zemeckis was director of Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. So, I figured why there are many religious things on this film. I think Robert put those things because of his interest in religion and I like how he inserted thatto this film in good way, effective way.I also saw Robert's efforts to show how disgraceful the drugs-addict and alcoholic are.
What dissapoints me of this film is that Kelly Relly's role end up in vain. We can put the lead actress away and it would not affect the story much. She is just a sweetener here.
So, great breath-taking incident of the airplane-scene , a bit slow in middle, but it ends in not a  mainstream way, I recommend this!

Flight : 7,9 of 10
Beta Reader: Yuli awalia