What’s It About
A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
“Flight Risk” is a pulse-pounding thriller that takes viewers on an intense aerial adventure through the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness. The story centers on U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery), a tough federal agent given a critical assignment: transport a crucial witness to a mafia trial from the remote Alaskan landscape to the courtrooms of New York. Her passenger is Winston (Topher Grace), a nervous numbers expert who’s key to bringing down a powerful mafia don. What seems like a routine prisoner transport quickly spirals into a fight for survival when their pilot, Daryl (Mark Wahlberg), reveals himself to be working for the very criminals Winston is set to testify against. It remains like one setting, namely a little prop-plane shifting through the snow-dusted mountains. Director Mel Gibson turns this limited space into an incubator of tension, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that keeps interfering with an audience constantly on edge. Each movement and every word spoken could spell life or death. Cool and calculating, Michelle Dockery does nicely as Madolyn. She’s not an action-hero type-she’s smarter than that, more pragmatic than that, dangerous when there is no alternative left. This she shows in that one memorable sequence where she takes down Daryl via tazer. She’s no wonder woman, and their not knowing how to fly the plane makes her and Winston all the more vulnerable and gives their struggle the ring of truth. Topher Grace is an unlikely standout- once again playing against type as the straight man, he gives Winston, a character that could very easily be forgettable, some semblance of appeal and charm. This becomes a kind of neurotic humor, a survival mechanism for his character and for the audience, in their seats, feeling tension build. And even after being handcuffed, rendered all but helpless, he continues to have a key part to play in their survival illustrating that intelligence can be as much a strength as any physical power. Mark Wahlberg is full-on bad guy as Daryl, the treacherous pilot. A very different take from his normal good-guy character, and obviously something he thoroughly enjoys. He’s an over-the-top, intentionally brutal, threatening presence, and audiences are immediately put in a position of being against him. There’s something darkly comic in his approach to the role that elevates Daryl past the level of a standard movie bad guy. The screenplay by Jared Rosenberg moves things along at a relentless clip. Clever use is made of what few things might be found on an airplane-a toolbox, a first-aid kit-as possible weapons and survival tools. This kind of creativity keeps the movie from being routine and constantly offers surprises in just how the characters might get out of their predicament. Visually, the movie captures the stark beauty of Alaska. Cinematographer Johnny Derango turns the mountain range into another character-vast, indifferent, and potentially deadly. The landscape becomes an unspoken threat, amplifying exactly how alone and helpless the characters are. Not everything works perfectly. The fight scenes are low-rent, and some of the special effects are rough around the edges. Wahlberg’s balding cap is particularly unconvincing, with lines that can pull viewers out of the immersive experience. Occasionally, the dialogue feels clunky, leaning on some tried-and-true thriller clichés. But these are minor quibbles in a movie that knows exactly what it wants to be: a fast-moving, entertaining thriller that isn’t particularly taking itself seriously. Gibson knows the conventions of the genre inside and out and plays with them admirably, adding just enough humor to keep the tension from becoming overwhelming. “Flight Risk” won’t win any major awards, but then again, it never had any such aspiration. This is a film made for stream-a-longs, those moments when one needs pure, unadulterated entertainment. This is that movie that will always be on cable television, not necessarily because it does anything particularly great but because it is entertaining, nonstop. Fans of contained thrillers, aviation drama, or even people in desperate need of an adrenaline quick shot will enjoy “Flight Risk.”. Just make sure your seatbelt is fastened-this is going to be a turbulent ride.
OUR RATING – AN OLD SCHOOL 8