Flight

R

Released Nov 2, 2012

2 hr. 18 min.

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

List

77%

242 Reviews

Tomatometer

75%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

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.

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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.

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Soberum

An excellent performance from Denzel and the rest of the cast. Some say the film is dated and the treatment of drug and alcohol abuse is flippant but that cannot be further from the truth.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/11/24

Full Review

Sydney S

This movie is not based on a true story. It's completely unbelievable and almost justifying alcoholism. If someone killed a loved one of mine by flying drunk I'd be mad. Just a really dumb story

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/23/24

Full Review

Joshua W

Flight has arguably the most exciting landing scene in the history of movies, particularly with the character buildup of Washington's pilot before and during the flight. I have met rock climbers in my life who, like Denzel's "Whip", perform best while under the influence of mind-altering substances. The only thing I can do in those situations is stare in wonderment at how that works and discourage others from putting themselves in a position that their safety relies on the competency of the person in question. The rest of the movie Flight is spent on legality and morality, and here is where it gets both boring and confusing. Confusing in that the message is very fuzzy, despite the definitive ending. For my money and time, a much more interesting movie that covers roughly the same ground is a documentary called "No No: A Dockumentary" about Dock Ellis's no-hitter pitched under the influence of LSD and Dock's journey to recovery after baseball.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/04/24

Full Review

Connor S

Our greatest actor today in a most important role.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

Justin H

I really enjoyed this movie. I brought it up in my final project for my "Drugs, Alcohol and Crime" class I definitely had to rewatch it and it's still golden.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

Full Review

David W

More of an addiction story than an airplane disaster story, Flight suffers from its identity crisis and insufficient character development beyond the protagonist. I would only watch this again if there were nothing better to choose from.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/24

Full Review

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Robert Zemeckis

Director

Denzel Washington

Whip Whitaker

Don Cheadle

Hugh Lang

Kelly Reilly

Nicole

John Goodman

Harling Mays

Bruce Greenwood

Charlie Anderson

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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

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

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.

Rated: 3.5/4

Apr 5, 2022

Full Review

Megan Burbank

Bitch Media

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

Jan 14, 2021

Full Review

Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

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.

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2017

Full Review

Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

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

Rated: 4.5/5

Dec 28, 2022

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Washington delivers one of his most complex and intricate performances.

Rated: 3.5/4

Sep 21, 2022

Full Review

Emiliano Basile

EscribiendoCine

Zemekis rounds up a potent film about a freefalling alcoholic with a few existential themes such as salvation. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Aug 10, 2022

Full Review

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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
Executive Producer: Cherylanne Martin
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
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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