Rating: 6.3/10
**This review contains spoilers.**
Being trapped thousands of feet in the air aboard a plane with a violent criminal hiding among passengers sounds like an average Spirit Airlines flight. This intense situation is actually the plot of Mel Gibson’s newest movie, “Flight Risk.”
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The cast of this action thriller is small, with the movie only having three main characters. Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) is a U.S. air marshal responsible for transporting Winston (Topher Grace) so he can testify against a powerful mob boss to put him in jail. The third main character of the trio is Daryl, played by Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg. Daryl is an unsophisticated but friendly Alaskan pilot who later turns out to be a sadistic assassin sent to kill Madolyn and Winston.
The movie’s beginning does not instill confidence in the viewer. The chemistry and line delivery from both Dockery and Grace are clunky, unconvincing and feel unpolished. Wahlberg’s entry into the film breathes some life into it, and his performance as both a simplistic country pilot and deranged assassin is convincing.
While the film’s acting leaves much to be desired, the writing certainly keeps the tension high once Daryl’s identity is revealed. The audience feels a true sense of dread for the characters trapped thousands of feet in the air with no pilot, unreliable equipment and a psychotic murderer determined to kill them both.
The film narratively suffers from stupid character syndrome. Both protagonists fail to properly monitor and restrain the violent and powerful psychopath on the plane numerous times. However, the protagonist’s poor decision-making is understandable given the stressful situation and makes the film engaging.
Visually, the film feels stagnant. The small cast and limited set, which is almost entirely a cargo airplane, make the film feel dry at times. While the editors do interspace beautiful shots of the Alaskan wilderness throughout the movie, the overall lack of different characters and locations makes the film feel cheap and underproduced.
Wahlberg’s performance is absolutely the standout aspect of this movie. Wahlberg, whose acting was almost too convincing, plays a violent and mentally deranged killer very well — a killer who will stop at nothing, even injuring himself drastically, to escape and harm his victims. Wahlberg’s extremely bipolar and violent nature, bad Italian accent and ridiculous hairline make the killer both intimidating and comedic.
Another notable feature of this movie is its incredibly short runtime. Coming in at only 91 minutes, it almost feels like parts of the movie are missing. Much of the character interaction is done over either the phone or radio and the movie could have greatly benefited from visually showing the other characters and their responses to a very dramatic and hopeless situation.
“Flight Risk” is a perfect film to watch on an airplane. For one, it’s immersive — you can truly picture yourself being trapped in the sky with no hope of landing safely. It’s also a forgettable but inoffensive film that makes 91 minutes pass by like nothing — perfect for distracting yourself from the crying baby and uncomfortable seat you’re stuck in on a long flight.
