Flight

Play trailer

Flight

R

2012

2h 18m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

238 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Robert Zemeckis makes a triumphant return to live-action cinema with Flight, a thoughtful and provocative character study propelled by a compelling performance from Denzel Washington.

Read Critics Reviews

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

04/05/2022

3.5/4

Flight isn't an easy sit. It doesn't offer up comforting answers to the many questions it raises or deal in exaggerated platitudes an audience might find simplistically comforting.

Go to Full Review

Megan Burbank

Bitch Media

01/14/2021

Flight proves, in a bad way, that believable characters are essential for all good movies.

Go to Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/07/2017

B+

While his performance here is perhaps not as introspective as it had the potential to become... it is off kilter from his more usual fare these days making it that much more memorable and compelling.

Go to Full Review

Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

05/15/2025

6/10

The saving grace is in the performances.

Go to Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

10/13/2024

5/5

No actor I know working today can take a feather of character nuance and turn it into a moral fiber of steely resolve with merely a new look or a change of voice inflection the way Denzel can.

Go to Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

12/28/2022

4.5/5

Led by Denzel Washington's top-notch performance in Flight, Robert Zemeckis' return to live action was worth the wait.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Nathan M

@RT31632855 1d

A great movie, great message and great acting, until the end. The tone of the movie changes from a deep introspective look at addiction and emotional struggles only to flip at end to glamorizing drug/addiction culture with comic relief

See more

Oscar T

@ScarfaceRampage Jun 1

Some of Denzel’s best work, so many great scenes.

See more

Melissa L

@Agent99 May 4

Very suspenseful and thrilling with fleshed out characters. The ending was bittersweet.

See more

rex W

@RT11010153 Mar 20

Great movie until the end, and then it fell apart. I can't even comprehend the point of the director and screenwriter coming up with an ending so unrealistic.

See more

Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Feb 21

The subtleties in Washington’s performance are what seal this role as one of his best. There are two fantastic scenes that bookend this movie with a lot of generic & predictable writing in between. I love the bold screenplay that shows the life of lies & self destruction that addiction brings & how it’s a character study of that kind of person. The moral dilemma of a deeply flawed hero being questioned for great works is so inciting. Not a lot of surprises with just one tone & theme but it powerfully meets its goal.

See more

Leon R.

@RT14396543 Dec 21

Awesome movie and honesty and a man’s humility

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Robert Zemeckis

Director

Denzel Washington

Whip Whitaker

Don Cheadle

Hugh Lang

Kelly Reilly

Nicole

John Goodman

Harling Mays

Bruce Greenwood

Charlie Anderson

Flight: Official Clip - Inverting the Plane

2:12

Flight: Official Clip - Brace for impact

2:12

Flight: Official Clip - A Little Pick Me Up

2:13

Flight: Official Clip - The Freefall

2:13

Flight: Official Clip - Chemo Brain

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - We're Talking Jail Time

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - I'm Drunk Right Now

2:10

Flight: Official Clip - I Drank Three Bottles

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - At Least I'm Sober

2:08

Flight: Official Clip - Love Is Taking Off

2:11

View more videos

Arbitrage

87%

62%

Arbitrage

Watchlist

Oldboy

39%

37%

Oldboy

Watchlist

The Rover

67%

52%

The Rover

Watchlist

Side Effects

82%

70%

Side Effects

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Side Effects

Take Shelter

92%

81%

Take Shelter

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

New on Netflix in August 2022

Digital Multiplex: Now Available in Your Living Room

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Flight and Some Excellent Documentaries

Denzel Washington Coolest Lines Mashup

2:00

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke
Screenwriter: John Gatins
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: ImageMovers, Parkes/MacDonald
Rating: R (Intense Action Sequence|Drug and Alcohol Abuse|Language|Sexuality/Nudity)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $93.7M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital