Flight (2012)

Flight offers dual commentary on addiction, its two central statements seeming to form an obvious contradiction; however, as our story unfolds, a singular truth crystallizes around these commentaries. Our lead character, Whip, performed by Denzel Washington, is a hapless pile of charm and recklessness. This is shown immediately, as Whip is seen waking up from a night of substance-laden festivities. Making matters worse, we see Whip pour vodka into orange juice before taking up his duties as a pilot.

For a drama, Flight contains a noticeably high octane sequence; the problems in flight are depicted with great effect, as luggage and flight attendants are tossed about. The editing of this sequence is strong and economic, conveying the crisis to the viewer in an intense fashion. The inversion of the plane was strikingly effective, as the audience finds themselves upside down along with the passengers. The strong intensity of the scene does not overwhelm the accompanying emotions; a flight attendant is told to say “I love you” to her child in the black box recording, which will tighten the chest of any parent watching. The sequence is important in establishing Whip’s extraordinary competence and coolness under pressure, despite his personal encumbrance.

Strong performances are found in Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Kelly Reilly, as they act as alcoholic, chaperone, and drug addict respectively. The film pursues two truths about addiction: addicts can be highly functional, even capable of near supernatural feats such as Whip inverting and subsequently lowering the plane. But the second truth is more revealing: behind any semblance of control is an affliction with insidious cost and consequences. Whip may be able to fly a plane high, he may be able to drive drunk, but one reality remains: alcohol is in control of Whip and not the other way around. This crystallizes these two truths into the irrefutable fact that functionality is not control. This is most acutely seen in the shot of Whip swiping the vodka bottle at the end of the film, framed to show his hand clutching the bottle with conviction.

The film offers a light-hearted last-minute sequence where Whip tries to sober up (with the aid of cocaine), but this is an intentional misdirect to give the film's conclusion profound power. Perhaps delivering his most notable performance in the film, Denzel Washington drunkenly slurs his way through the hearing that was meant to prove his innocence. He arrives at a final proclamation of responsibility, showing further expressiveness as he admits to his present state of drunkenness. Flight delivers a complex view of addiction, centrally acknowledging that capability does not excuse addiction; it makes it worse. Whip's insistence on his own competence continually gets in the way of his recovery, making it easier to avoid responsibility. Flight is thoughtful in its discussion of addiction and never shies away from the hard truths, making it a powerful piece of drama and commentary.