Flight (2012)

The opening scene of this movie immediately makes you loath the protagonist, Whip Whitaker (played by Denzel Washington). Nothing too riling about the scene. In fact, there's a gratuitous dose of nudity for those looking for it. It's a suitable character introduction considering what the rest of the movie will unravel about the man. The gripping event that follows this opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film. Thank heavens I won't spoil that for you.

I'm not one to trump up directors for the flaws of a Holllywood film. No, that stuff should be reserved for the auteurs. I think the film is an honest attempt to potray a man with a problem. It's shot and edited well enough to make you watch it till the end. The soundtrack is indulgent but entertaining still. Here's what I think is the biggest problem with this movie. The protagonist is made larger than life and other characters are hardly developed. It's a point-of-view (POV) film and likely viewers with alcoholics in their family will be more appreciative of this approach. But Nicole (Kelly Reilly), Chip's love interest, is almost caricatured as this junkie waif. John Goodman's caper, Harling Mays might well have walked into the set for 'The Big Lebowski'. Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle), the defendant's lawyer could have been a strong anti-thesis of the main man but no. This movie could have just been called 'Whip'.

Given that it's a POV film, another suitable title for the film could have been 'Denial'. The movie does a very good job of showing us how a man let's his denial snatch everything he holds dear from him. And it takes just that for him to see his problem in true light. The conclusion of the film is an appropriate one that leaves the viewer with a sense of closure.

One last nit. Is someone going to replace Denzel Washington as Hollywood's slickest nigga already? He's getting old, you know.