Movie Review: Flight Risk
One-liner: A solid cast drive in this fun, tight-knit, twisty and claustrophobic airborne thriller.
Flight Risk is a taut, character-driven thriller from director Mel Gibson that centres on a critical flight to transport a key government witness – the former accountant of a big-time mob boss – to a high-profile court case. While it begins on the ground, most of the action unfolds mid-air as a pilot, a US Marshal, and the witness take off from a remote Alaskan location, bound for the prosecution in New York. This curious drama thriller takes three name stars – Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace – and plants them in the close confines of a small plane.
Despite its name stars, the film is a tight-knit affair, essentially a character study as tension mounts and gamesmanship escalates between the three players. Initially, the uneasy relationship between the Marshal and the reluctant witness takes centre stage as the arduous journey over the Alaskan wilderness begins. However, as the story develops, it becomes clear the pilot has ulterior motives, putting the entire witness protection operation in jeopardy.
What could easily have been a radio play becomes a tightly wound, suspenseful thriller where key moments and tensions build around a scenario akin to a classic riddle of wits. Being so tightly focused on the actors, it’s fortunate that Gibson has the pull to secure a cast with both commercial quality and ability. With the audience spending most of the time with all three, their shifting power plays become the primary point of interest. Their characters reveal fresh insights at every step, often through satellite phone calls to the ground that offer assistance when the flight plan is disrupted.
The audience becomes privy to the backstory, clarifying who the true allies and enemies are. Confining the action to the aircraft cabin enhances the claustrophobia, while the supporting cast chiming in via phone calls smartly expands the world of Flight Risk. Suspended in mid-air, the pilot’s control over the situation creates an added level of dramatic tension as his true nature comes to light.
“Mayday, mayday… it’s mayday right?”
Mark Wahlberg takes on an unusual supporting role as an unexpected villain with a dual identity. He relishes the opportunity to break type, moving from the typical all-American hero to a slimy chameleon. This performance mostly works, giving us a chance to see Wahlberg in a fresh light and allowing him to take a less predictable route. Although, as entertaining as it is, it could be a make-or-break depending on your overall appreciation and while he’s touted as the lead, the duties are shared.
Flight Risk, or perhaps Mel Gibson, possesses a wicked sense of humour, but successfully finds a balance between offsetting comedy and suspense. Topher Grace is right at home in a part that could have been written for him, serving as the go-between for Wahlberg and Dockery. His temperament and star quality provide a good balance in terms of the film’s genre mix. Meanwhile, Michelle Dockery delivers a gritty performance with a convincing American accent. The Downton Abbey star successfully drops some of her typical grace and poise for a dedicated, smart Marshal who is willing to go beyond the call of duty for justice.
Gibson, whose credits range from The Passion of the Christ to Apocalypto, shows he is adept at broader productions yet manages to keep the lid on this modest potboiler. The focus shifts to the actors, their performances, and the script, not having the same scale of production values as a blockbuster. This essentially three-actor, single-location film remains mostly compelling thanks to its fine cast and a script full of twists and turns, offering enough entertainment value to keep viewers invested in spite of the bumpy ride.
While Flight Risk may not be a spectacular film, the quality of the ingredients is good enough to make for a twisty little thriller with ample acting firepower, intrigue, and type-breaking to keep things moving along. It certainly doesn’t do a disservice to Gibson’s filmography, showing that this kind of tight-knit film is viable. As always, filmmaking comes down to character, story, and the novelty of the central concept. Realizing this and having access to some of Hollywood’s bigger stars, a director like Gibson can successfully pull off these smaller, quality-focused projects. While it sputters once or twice, Flight Risk does enough to rebalance and stick the landing.
The bottom line: Entertaining
