[rachelright]

Has anyone seen Flight? And if so then do you think Denzel Washington deserves an Oscar Win for it?

As the director thinks so
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=cbnFHl9YIgQ

And obv Washington is like most actors and happy about the nomination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZHqElma6C8

But not too sure.....

[Bluray]

I just hope it's better than the utterly abysmal Unstoppable

[Lady Spice]

I saw this today.

I thought Denzel Washington deserves an Oscar - but I always think he deserves an Oscar. The man is simply an amazing actor, and brings everything he does to life.

Flight is no exception.

[Bluray]

I find him a bit boring, not doubting his ability but on the whole he's just "oh it's Denzel Washington"

[Virgil Tracy]

I'm just glad Zemeckis is back to directing live actors

[Bluray]

Originally Posted by Virgil Tracy

I'm just glad Zemeckis is back to directing live actors

Totally agree with that.

[RAZORBACK]

Went to a preview screening last week and I have to say that despite the trailer pretty much spelling out what happens the first twenty/thirty minutes of this movie is incredibly tense & horribly realistic.

After that it's pretty much a solid but slightly predictable drama but with solid performances from the entire cast (including the ever reliable Mr Washington) I definitely think it's still well worth catching when it goes on general release...

[Ted Cunterblast]

Watched it yesterday. (R1 blu ray).

Possible spoilers ahead...




I know a lot of people are going to be disappointed as it is yet another case of a very misleading trailer.

It's NOT an action movie - there is a plane crash at the beginning and the rest of the movie is concerned with the investigation into this crash, and Washingtons struggle with his alcohol and drugs addiction.

There is a potentially interesting story in the notion of Washington's character being a 'hero'...his actions in landing the plane with very little loss of life is nothing short of extraordinary, and plus the fact that he was high on drugs and also drank alcohol while on the plane.

The crucial part of the story is that the events that caused the crash were not attributable to Washingtons inebrriated state, so once the truth is known about his addiction, his 'hero' status comes into question.

But what the film spends most of it's time on is Washington wrestling with the guilt of what happened (of 6 out of 102 people who died, two were cabin crew, one of whom he was having a relationship with) and his struggle to stay sober during the investigation...and there is nothing here we have not seen before, despite Washington's excellent performance. It's all very cliched and familiar.

I would have preferred to have seen more emphasis on the investigation, and it's not until near the end of the movie when the eventual hearing takes place that it begins to grip.

The plane crash itself is...interesting. For once it's not a spectacular cgi fest, rather it concentrates on what happens inside the plane, on the characters, the pilots actions etc. Very few shots of the actual plane crash at all, which makes for a somewhat different and interesting take on the event.

There were parts of the movie that reminded me of the Jeff Bridges movie Fearless, it has a similar feel to it.

Would be interested to know what people think of John Goodmans role...he only has a few scenes, and is a sort of 'comedy relief', which I am not sure sat well with the tone of the rest of the movie.

[007Fusion]

Originally Posted by Ted Cunterblast

Watched it yesterday. (R1 blu ray).

Possible spoilers ahead...




I know a lot of people are going to be disappointed as it is yet another case of a very misleading trailer.

It's NOT an action movie - there is a plane crash at the beginning and the rest of the movie is concerned with the investigation into this crash, and Washingtons struggle with his alcohol and drugs addiction.

There is a potentially interesting story in the notion of Washington's character being a 'hero'...his actions in landing the plane with very little loss of life is nothing short of extraordinary, and plus the fact that he was high on drugs and also drank alcohol while on the plane.

The crucial part of the story is that the events that caused the crash were not attributable to Washingtons inebrriated state, so once the truth is known about his addiction, his 'hero' status comes into question.

But what the film spends most of it's time on is Washington wrestling with the guilt of what happened (of 6 out of 102 people who died, two were cabin crew, one of whom he was having a relationship with) and his struggle to stay sober during the investigation...and there is nothing here we have not seen before, despite Washington's excellent performance. It's all very cliched and familiar.

I would have preferred to have seen more emphasis on the investigation, and it's not until near the end of the movie when the eventual hearing takes place that it begins to grip.

The plane crash itself is...interesting. For once it's not a spectacular cgi fest, rather it concentrates on what happens inside the plane, on the characters, the pilots actions etc. Very few shots of the actual plane crash at all, which makes for a somewhat different and interesting take on the event.

There were parts of the movie that reminded me of the Jeff Bridges movie Fearless, it has a similar feel to it.

Would be interested to know what people think of John Goodmans role...he only has a few scenes, and is a sort of 'comedy relief', which I am not sure sat well with the tone of the rest of the movie.

I too was mislead by the trailer and didn't expect the film to unfold as it did. Though once it settled down, i really wanted him to become more proactive in attempting to investigate the incident, that he was so sure he wasn't at fault for. That would of added so much more suspence and action to a what was a poor portrayal of a drunken man, that barely attempted to quit his addiction or understand the implications of his actions.

[jazzyjake]

i liked it lot actually

[shades1]

watched it last night and fell asleep , not something i normally do in a DW film .

far from his best IMHO .

[blueisthecolour]

Flight was one of my favourite films is absolutely ages. I thought that that they got so much of it right (apart from the john goodman character) and was gripped the whole way through. Surprised that it has resulted in a mixed response, but maybe that due to people expecting a typical Denzil blockbuster rather than this character piece.

[Parthenon]

Denzel Washington's performance makes this film. I love the dynamism he brings to the role to create a very nuanced performance. I actually thought there'd be more action in it judging by the trailer I saw, but I didn't mind as it became a compelling story about whether a man deserves commendation for saving 96 lives, or condemnation for being intoxicated during the process (and how he constantly tries to justify the latter with the former). Moreover, can he accept and defeat his addiction? I loved it.

[Stansfield]

Originally Posted by Ted Cunterblast

Watched it yesterday. (R1 blu ray).

Possible spoilers ahead...




I know a lot of people are going to be disappointed as it is yet another case of a very misleading trailer.

It's NOT an action movie - there is a plane crash at the beginning and the rest of the movie is concerned with the investigation into this crash, and Washingtons struggle with his alcohol and drugs addiction.

There is a potentially interesting story in the notion of Washington's character being a 'hero'...his actions in landing the plane with very little loss of life is nothing short of extraordinary, and plus the fact that he was high on drugs and also drank alcohol while on the plane.

The crucial part of the story is that the events that caused the crash were not attributable to Washingtons inebrriated state, so once the truth is known about his addiction, his 'hero' status comes into question.

But what the film spends most of it's time on is Washington wrestling with the guilt of what happened (of 6 out of 102 people who died, two were cabin crew, one of whom he was having a relationship with) and his struggle to stay sober during the investigation...and there is nothing here we have not seen before, despite Washington's excellent performance. It's all very cliched and familiar.

I would have preferred to have seen more emphasis on the investigation, and it's not until near the end of the movie when the eventual hearing takes place that it begins to grip.

The plane crash itself is...interesting. For once it's not a spectacular cgi fest, rather it concentrates on what happens inside the plane, on the characters, the pilots actions etc. Very few shots of the actual plane crash at all, which makes for a somewhat different and interesting take on the event.

There were parts of the movie that reminded me of the Jeff Bridges movie Fearless, it has a similar feel to it.

Would be interested to know what people think of John Goodmans role...he only has a few scenes, and is a sort of 'comedy relief', which I am not sure sat well with the tone of the rest of the movie.

I didn't see any Wrestling with Guilt, more the opposite.....Blame the Plane 100%....'Whip' was a nasty drunk and I'm sure would have been found out before now in the real world, well I hope he would have been.

Still a gripping film, which from the trailer, is a completely different film, much darker and raw....with great performances from all, apart from John Goodman, what was that all about.

8/10

[pericom]

Nothing special about this film. First 20 mins good. Last 20 mins good. Heres the problem IMO, 1 and half hours of crap in between.

Nothing I haven't seen in your standard TV actor playing a "drunk".

5/10

[downtonfan]

I thought the middle dragged a bit, it was too long for what it was.

Denzil is good as he always is. John Goodman had TWO scenes. Not happy about that.
For me the stand out is Kelly Reilly. I think she was brilliant in the film. But the chemistry between her and Washington was more like a father/daughter than lovers.

The plane sequence is incredible.

[Bluray]

Saw this today.
I don't think the middle sags at all, I think it's a well-paced drama.
I really enjoyed it.

[mialicious]

I thought flight was ok, denzel was good as always..but it was just too long. if half an hour was trimmed off it would be so much better.

[Moe's tavern]

When the likes of Robert Zemeckis and Denzel Washington team up, there's an air of expectation that something special will occur.
It doesn't, alas.

If you take out the impressive scenes aboard the plane, what's left is nothing more than an average made-for-tv film.

Denzel makes a good drunk, but the moral ambiguity surrounding his character is questionable. The film attempts to be darker in tone than it really is, but ultimately shies away from a truly honest portrayal of an alcoholic. Leaving Las Vegas on a Plane this is not.

And as mentioned elsewhere here, the love interest storyline, which couldn't have been shoe-horned in more if it tried, just doesn't work.

What's left is a good, but certainly not Oscar-worthy performance by Washington, in an otherwise mediocre film.

Review here.

[johnloony]

I realised that the title "Flight" has a double meaning - not just the aeroplane flight, but also that he was running away from himself.

[TardisSteve]

very good film, Denzil Wasington was fantastic as usual, a lot of important messages about the effects of drink and drugs

Originally Posted by johnloony

I realised that the title "Flight" has a double meaning - not just the aeroplane flight, but also that he was running away from himself.

yeah, i never thought of that :-)

[rossi_dr]

found it had a good start, slow middle, end could have been better....so so film not D.W Best

[Rich_L]

I don't suppose this will be on my emirates flight next week...

[Inspiration]

Struggled to finish it and ended up turning it off, which as others have said is not normal for me with DW films. Just didn't do anything for me.

[PJ68]

i thought this was ok but i find denzel washington such a boring actor to watch. whatever role he's playing he always seems to same to me :-0

someone mentioned fearless and i thought they same, though fearless is a brilliant film about survivor's guilt, and this is basically a tv movie about facing up to addiction.