Flight

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Flight

R

2012

2h 18m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

77%

Tomatometer

238 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

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Critics Consensus

Robert Zemeckis makes a triumphant return to live-action cinema with Flight, a thoughtful and provocative character study propelled by a compelling performance from Denzel Washington.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

04/05/2022

3.5/4

Flight isn't an easy sit. It doesn't offer up comforting answers to the many questions it raises or deal in exaggerated platitudes an audience might find simplistically comforting.

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Megan Burbank

Bitch Media

01/14/2021

Flight proves, in a bad way, that believable characters are essential for all good movies.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/07/2017

B+

While his performance here is perhaps not as introspective as it had the potential to become... it is off kilter from his more usual fare these days making it that much more memorable and compelling.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

05/15/2025

6/10

The saving grace is in the performances.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

10/13/2024

5/5

No actor I know working today can take a feather of character nuance and turn it into a moral fiber of steely resolve with merely a new look or a change of voice inflection the way Denzel can.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

12/28/2022

4.5/5

Led by Denzel Washington's top-notch performance in Flight, Robert Zemeckis' return to live action was worth the wait.

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Nathan M

@RT31632855 Jul 9

A great movie, great message and great acting, until the end. The tone of the movie changes from a deep introspective look at addiction and emotional struggles only to flip at end to glamorizing drug/addiction culture with comic relief

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Oscar T

@ScarfaceRampage Jun 1

Some of Denzel’s best work, so many great scenes.

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Melissa L

@Agent99 May 4

Very suspenseful and thrilling with fleshed out characters. The ending was bittersweet.

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rex W

@RT11010153 Mar 20

Great movie until the end, and then it fell apart. I can't even comprehend the point of the director and screenwriter coming up with an ending so unrealistic.

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Griffith J

@griffithxjohnson Feb 21

The subtleties in Washington’s performance are what seal this role as one of his best. There are two fantastic scenes that bookend this movie with a lot of generic & predictable writing in between. I love the bold screenplay that shows the life of lies & self destruction that addiction brings & how it’s a character study of that kind of person. The moral dilemma of a deeply flawed hero being questioned for great works is so inciting. Not a lot of surprises with just one tone & theme but it powerfully meets its goal.

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Leon R.

@RT14396543 Dec 21

Awesome movie and honesty and a man’s humility

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Robert Zemeckis

Director

Denzel Washington

Whip Whitaker

Don Cheadle

Hugh Lang

Kelly Reilly

Nicole

John Goodman

Harling Mays

Bruce Greenwood

Charlie Anderson

Flight: Official Clip - Inverting the Plane

2:12

Flight: Official Clip - Brace for impact

2:12

Flight: Official Clip - A Little Pick Me Up

2:13

Flight: Official Clip - The Freefall

2:13

Flight: Official Clip - Chemo Brain

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - We're Talking Jail Time

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - I'm Drunk Right Now

2:10

Flight: Official Clip - I Drank Three Bottles

2:14

Flight: Official Clip - At Least I'm Sober

2:08

Flight: Official Clip - Love Is Taking Off

2:11

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Synopsis

Commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald, Steve Starkey, Jack Rapke
Screenwriter: John Gatins
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: ImageMovers, Parkes/MacDonald
Rating: R (Intense Action Sequence|Drug and Alcohol Abuse|Language|Sexuality/Nudity)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 2, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $93.7M
Runtime: 2h 18m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital