Studio Synopsis: Airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Washington) miraculously lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe. But even as he’s being hailed for his heroic efforts, questions arise as to who or what was really at fault.
Studio: Paramount
Running Time: 138 minutes
Rating: R
Number of Disks: 2
Special Features:
- Origins of Flight *HD
- The Making of Flight Featurette *HD
- Anatomy of a Plane Crash Featurette *HD
- Q&A Highlights Featurette *HD
Pock-marking chinks of realism into the armor of the typical Hollywood hero, “Flight” sees Washington soar as he delivers his bruised and broken Whitaker out of the flames and into an even more thrilling fray. And while some conventional themes might take flight after the initial crash, Washington plots a rock-steady and suspenseful course into one man’s spiral without losing either his momentum, or his empathetic tug. It’s Washington that indeed makes the film – coupled with the masterful hand of a less tech-wielding Zemeckis for this departure – but the jump-seat supporting roles of Goodman, Cheadle, Brian Geraghty, best known for his role in “The Hurt Locker,” and relative newcomer Nadine Velazquez, who is perhaps more recognizable from her television roles on “My Name is Earl” and “The League” than from her film roster, also make this flight and its aftermath a wonderfully twisted romp through wreckage and; possibly, redemption. The in-flight extras menu is a vegan’s delight, with a short-but-sweet dusting of information and interviews, but no real meat anywhere. Thankfully, Denzel and Zemeckis lend their presence to almost all of the supplemental features – save for the “Q&A Highlights” in which Washington does not appear – and if you have to pick just two supplements, go with “The Making of Flight” and the “Anatomy of a Plane Crash” featurettes, as these prove to be the most compelling and contrasted. So with a cockpit cowboy that’s wrapped in a ploy you’ll enjoy, and a mesmerizing storyline filled with barrel-rolls and bottom-drops, “Flight” soars high on the not-so-friendly skies.