Flight

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Flight

R

2012

2h 18m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

240 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.

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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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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Apr 5, 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.

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Megan Burbank

Bitch Media

Jan 14, 2021

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

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 7, 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.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Aug 26, 2026

3/4

The movie emerges as less a drama about an airplane crash and more a character study about a man who won’t admit his problems to anyone, including himself.

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Aug 19, 2026

4/5

A cautionary tale for the erosion of culpability that came for the country at large, with its conflation of the divine and the delusional that seem to now seem to hold us all in their grip.

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Frank J. Avella

The Contending

Aug 13, 2026

B+

The film is highly entertaining, and the ensemble keeps us engrossed throughout, especially Washington and Reilly. Goodman provides hilarious comic relief. His character should have gotten his own spin-off movie.

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Nathan M

@RT31632855 Jul 9, 2026

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

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Oscar T

@ScarfaceRampage Jun 1, 2026

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

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Melissa L

@Agent99 May 4, 2026

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

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rex W

@RT11010153 Mar 20, 2026

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.

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Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Feb 21, 2026

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.

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Leon R.

@RT14396543 Dec 21, 2025

Awesome movie and honesty and a man’s humility

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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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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

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