FLIGHT   3.5****

       Robert Zemeckis is a  director many may not think of when it comes to some of the best directors of all-time. But when you actually go back and look at his career, there hasn't been a lot to shake your head at. Director of an acclaimed franchise in Back to the Future, an Oscar winner for his direction for Forrest Gump, followed by Cast Away after which  he became the motion capture master behind The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol, it was exciting to hear that Zemeckis was moving past motion- capture and back into live action film. Even more exciting was the idea of Zemeckis working with Denzel Washington on a challenging film for both director and lead actor.

The result of Zemeckis and Washington's partnership is the film Flight, the story of an airline pilot who miraculously crash lands a nose-diving jet, saving the lives of 96 people. The conflict? Pilot Whip Whitaker is an alcoholic and cocaine user and was under the influence of both the morning of the crash, a crash that resulted in six deaths and could result in life in jail for Whitaker.

The opening thirty minutes of Flight are some of the most intense minutes of film this year. While we know from the previews that this plane is going to crash, the process of filmmaking the turbulent nose dive is brilliant by Zemeckis. The camera shakes seemingly uncontrollably as the plane starts to fail in the sky, bags and items fly about the cabin, passengers scream, and Denzel powerfully acts as Pilot Whip trying to regain control of the plane as it plunges to a certain crash. These moments are edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding filmmaking at its best and something everyone will want to see on the big screen rather than from the comfort of their living room.

But after the crash the film becomes a dark character study about a man who cannot resist the urges that have haunted him for years and years. It is a study of not only this character, but of the morality of him. Even if the crash was a colossal mechanical failure, how can Whip not see the danger he put all the passengers in the minute he stepped onto that plane?  

It is clear that Denzel Washington devoted himself to this character. Every move that Washington made is true and you believe every action of his character because Washington is so convincing. The film didn't need to continue having as much action as the first part of the film (the plane crash) because watching the development of Washington's character was so interesting. Even though Washington steals the film, he is backed up with some very respectable supportive acting. Don Cheadle  plays Washington's attorney and delivers some powerful moments in the film.   But the real scene stealer is  John Goodman (Argo, The Artist)who  plays the comic relief in Flight. Even though Goodman is only in the film for a short amount of time, he delivers some of the best scenes in the movie.

The film is a very accurate portrayal of the struggles and despairs of being an alcoholic. With a fine director and an expert lead role along with many great supporting roles, Flight is a film that shouldn't be missed. The only minor problem with Flight is that it's a little lengthy when it doesn't need to be. Other than that, Flight is a very well made drama .