By DELANEE BOGANWhen the plane crashed, Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) becomes the local hero. Quickly after that, blood tests that were drawn when he was in the hospital reveal large amounts of alcohol and drugs in his system while he was piloting. This started a criminal investigation that could ultimately result in him going to jail for the rest of his life.
The rest of the movie focuses on his problem with alcoholism. It also focuses on his denial and lies that create a snowball effect when he tries to save himself from going to jail because of the accident.
A woman he met in the hospital, Nicole (Kelly Reilly) was a cocaine addict. Nicole was off on the wrong path, and Whip provided her a place when she had nowhere to go. She started going to Alcohol Anonymous meetings and turned her life around. She tried to help Whip with his substance abuse but was unsuccessful.
His other friends tried to help him with his problem including Charlie (Bruce Greenwood), who was a former co pilot who used to fly with him. With the excellent acting by Denzel Washington, the viewer often finds oneself torn between liking Whip Whitaker, and hating him at the same time. He constantly continues his old habits leaving the viewer disappointed after every mistake and then cheering him on to make the right choice.
Although it was a long movie, it is a must see for one looking for a drama filled movie with a plot twist ending.
Flight: 3 out of 5 stars
MPAA Rating: Rated R for drug and alcohol abuse, language, sexuality/nudity and an intense action sequence
Running time: 2 hours 18 minutes
Opened: 11/2/12