When you have a team that includes Robert Zemeckis (director of notable films such as Forrest Gump and Castaway) and always reliable actor Denzel Washington in the lead, you would think the film would have to be a smashing success; however, Flight is a film with a less than great story and is more about the main character. Just as with Daniel Day Lewis in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, here we have a vehicle that has almost been crafted to bring Mr. Washington another Oscar, with complete disregard for the audience in terms of the entertainment or credibility factors.
Washington plays Captain William “Whip” Whitaker (with the heroic alliteration completely intended) who is an ace pilot of the skies. We first see him lying in bed with flight attendant Katerina Marquez (Nadine Velazquez), and it quickly becomes obvious that they have had a night of passion fueled by drugs and alcohol. It’s an interesting set-up in that we know from the very beginning that Whitaker has an Achilles’ heel: he is a full-blown alcoholic.
Of course, the conflict is ramped up a notch when bad weather comes in, and he is ready to take the helm of a plane as captain. Sort of like the Shakespearean character behind the curtain whom the audience knows is there but the characters do not, we understand from the start that Whip is probably not fit to perform his duties. After take-off the plane encounters difficulties, but Whip is able to right the ship and all seems well. To add insult to the audience’s injury, Whip takes small vodka bottles, mixes them with orange juice, and continues his apparently downward spiral, which is foreshadowing of things to come.
Things go from bad to worse when the plane starts a steep descent and co-pilot Ken Evans (Brian Geraghty) tries to assist Whip as best as he can. Since there apparently has been a catastrophic loss of systems, Whip has a quick solution to try to right the situation: he flies the plane upside down. This amazingly rights the plane and then he turns it back to correct position before slamming into a church steeple and then crashing the plane in a field.
When Whip regains consciousness, he is informed that Katerina and five other people died, but he is seen as a hero for saving 96 other passengers and crew and for steering the plane away from populated areas. Of course, we know what’s behind the curtain and that Whip was drunk when flying that plane; therefore, is it only a matter of time before tests prove this and that he will be criminally charged?
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