Flight (2012)

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Denzel Washington, Nadine Velazquez, Don Cheadle

Synopsis:
A pilot is praised as a hero for landing a disabled plane with few casualties, but as the investigation into the crash goes further, a darker picture develops.

Impressions:
There are no perfect heroes in the real world. They belong in the realm of fiction, but people still expect their heroes to be perfect and when their human foibles and failings come out, they're often dropped like a hot potato. This film plays on that hard. Denzel Washington's Captain Whitaker is deeply troubled wreck of a man caught up in a brutal self-destructive death spiral. Some people don't like that this movie turns into an Aesop about drug and alcohol abuse, but there you go. Don't expect the movie to be a little ray of sunshine. I haven't seen a movie about a man's crash and burn (no pun intended) this harsh since Leaving Las Vegas. If you're in the mood for a fairly dark character study, give this one a watch.

Rating:
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