Flight (2012)
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An alcoholic pilot must face the consequences of his actions after a miraculous crash-landing.
The story
After an alcoholic pilot, William "Whip" Whitaker Sr., miraculously crash-lands his plane following a mechanical failure, he is hailed as a hero. However, an investigation begins to cast the captain in a different light. While the pilot is initially celebrated for saving nearly everyone on board, the truth about his condition during the flight begins to emerge, forcing him to face the legal and personal consequences of his actions as the investigation unfolds.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Pilot William "Whip" Whitaker Sr. is an alcoholic who, after a night of drinking, flies SouthJet Air Flight 227. During the flight, a mechanical failure causes the plane to enter a catastrophic dive. Whip manages to regain control and perform a crash-landing in an open field, saving 96 passengers. While he is initially hailed as a hero, a toxicology report reveals he was intoxicated during the flight. He faces a legal battle with the NTSB, where he is initially protected by a technicality regarding the admissibility of his blood test. However, during a hearing, he is unable to hide his condition from the investigators and confesses to drinking. Thirteen months later, Whip is shown serving a five-year sentence in prison, where he is seen lecturing a support group and reconciling with his son.
- First release year
- 2012
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Zemeckis
- Writers
- John Gatins · writer
- Cast and characters
- Denzel Washington · William "Whip" Whitaker Sr.; Don Cheadle; Kelly Reilly; John Goodman; Bruce Greenwood; Melissa Leo
- Genres
- drama; thriller
- Themes
- alcoholism; redemption; accountability
- Tone and mood
- tense; dramatic
- Setting
- A commercial flight and subsequent investigation in the United States.
- Premise and plot tags
- aviation; disaster; legal drama
- Content notes
- substance abuse
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Denzel Washington's performance and Robert Zemeckis's return to live-action filmmaking. It was also a commercial success.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 77% · scale: approval rating · review count: 239; Metacritic · score: 76 · scale: 100 · review count: 40
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Actor (Washington) · 85th · nomination; Academy Awards · Best Original Screenplay · 85th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was produced with a relatively small budget of $31 million.; The film was largely filmed on location near Atlanta, Georgia over 45 days in November 2011.; The aircraft in the film is a two-engine T-tail jet airliner, appearing to be from the same model family as the plane involved in the Alaska Airlines 261 disaster.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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