Drama Pick: Flight (2012)
Sometimes a movie will pop back into my head months after I’ve seen it, for reasons unbeknownst even to me. Today, that strange visitor was Flight, one of the best and least acknowledged movies of 2012. Starring Denzel Washington, it focuses on a pilot named Whip Whitaker (Washington) who has severe alcohol and substance abuse problems. With all his vices, his personal life is in shambles, and all he really has left is his career flying planes. When a mechanical failure causes his plane to drop out of the sky, Whip miraculously lands it, saving almost everyone on board.
Though he’s immediately hailed as a hero, the airline’s investigation into just what happened on board puts Whip on red alert as he attempts to mask his addictions and abuse from the press and inquiry.
As directed by Robert Zemeckis, Flight is an absolutely stunning accomplishment. The plane crash sequence is one of the best and most terrifying in cinematic history, and the tight script allows for some highly compelling drama. The biggest thing Flight has going for it, though, is definitely Washington. He gives one of his finest performances to date, making Whip painfully human and forcing audience members to feel his pain and pressure. Even as the walls seemingly close in around him, Washington positively soars – and, because of him, so does the movie as a whole.