Bill I’s Review – 3 out of 5
I would rate Denzel higher, as he is the movie, other than the remarkable flight crash (no spoiler!) scene at the outset. I cringed during this ultra-realistic flight crash, and will try to forget it by the time I take my next flight. This movie is more enjoyable than Leaving Las Vegas where it was just painful to watch Nicholas Cage drink himself to death. Flight has a predictable story arc, where Denzel needs to hit rock bottom as an alcoholic (flight pilot!), but he makes it captivating while the focus is on the post-flight investigation (was he drunk!), and his union rep and lawyer try to help him clear the charges. One side note: is anyone else bothered as I am by Denzel’s tooth situation? He’s always working his mouth, and it’s distracting to me, then the big teeth sometimes seem to get in his way when talking. Denzel will probably get an Oscar nomination, because he takes the ultimate sacrifice of any Hollywood actor trying to show he’s a great actor: he lets loose with a flabby body, and loses any six pack abs he may have chiseled (with trainer, cook and whatever supplements are needed) in prior action films. His character here is conveyed by his body, and expressions as much as his dialogue. Let’s see Tom Cruise match that!
