Flight (2012)

Flight is a 2012 American drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by John Gatins and produced by Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkley, Zemeckis and Jack Rapke. It stars Denzel Washington as William "Whip" Whitaker Sr., an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. Immediately following the crash, he is hailed a hero but an investigation soon leads to questions that put the captain in a different light. This film is loosely inspired by the plane crash of Alaska Airlines Flight 261. The film premiered in New York Film Festival on October 14, 2012 and was theatrically released in the United States on November 2, 2012.

Plot
Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Robert Zemeckis officially came back for live-action films, after having uncanny valley motion capture as computer-animated movies.
 * 2) Denzel Washington gives a great performance of Whip Whitaker, probably the best of cheers. Don Cheadle and Kelly Reilly also give great performances of Hugh Lang and Nicole.
 * 3) * John Goodman is also has a great performance of Harling Mays, either way.
 * 4) Whip Whitaker is mostly likable. He is an alcoholic airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board. Immediately following the crash, he is hailed a hero but an investigation soon leads to questions that put the captain in a different light.
 * 5) Robert Zemeckis gives another great direction and it still retains charm after that, which is really high experience.
 * 6) Emotional scenes like where Whip gets injured after the plane crashed due to the problems at all.
 * 7) The score by Alan Silvestri is spectacular as it does fit in each scenes of the film.
 * 8) The concept of an airline pilot who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mechanical failure, saving nearly everyone on board is original.
 * 9) The screenplay by John Gatins is absolutely well-done, which it looks real.
 * 10) Stunning cinematography which fits the tone perfectly.
 * 11) Unforgettable quotes, such as "Nothing like a little thirty knot crosswind to exercise that ol' sphincter muscle." and "I choose to drink! And I blame myself! I am happy to! And you know why? Because I choose to drink! I got an ex-wife and a son I never talk to! And you know why? Because I choose to drink!"

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The unnecessary sex scenes can make the movie for disturbing at times.
 * 2) There is a minor inaccuracy when it comes to Whip's plane. In the movie, the plane Whip flies(The McDonnell Douglas MD-80)is shown to have winglets. In real life no versions of the MD-80 had winglets.

Reception
Flight received generally positive reviews, with praise going to Zemeckis' direction and Washington's performance, Gatins' screenplay and themes. The film has an approval rating of 78% based on a sample of 236 critics on Rotten Tomatoes, along with a weighted average of 6.90/10. The site's consensus states "Robert Zemeckis makes a triumphant return to live-action cinema with Flight, a thoughtful and provocative character study propelled by a compelling performance from Denzel Washington.". Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 based on reviews from 40 critics.

Box office
Flight opened up at #2 on its opening weekend making a domestic gross of $24,900,566 with an average of $13,217 per theater. The total domestic gross was $93,772,375. In foreign territories, it made $68,000,000. Overall, Flight grossed $161,772,375 against its $31 million budget, making it a box office success.

Awards and Nominations
Flight was nominated at Academy Award for Best Actor and Best Original Screenplay. Although the film was not nominated for Best Picture, he later noted that it deserved to be.

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Trivia

 * This is the first live-action film directed by Zemeckis since Cast Away and What Lies Beneath in 2000.
 * In fact, this is also the first R-rated Robert Zemeckis film since Used Carsin 1980.