Flight Risk (9/10)

by Tony Medley

91 minutes.

R.

There is a lot to like about this film, and very little not to like. In 2008 Liam Neeson came out in Taken, a terrific thriller directed by Pierre Morel that was released early in the year. It was such a hit that he kept doing it year after year but nothing ever approached the quality of Taken,  maybe because Morel did not direct any of the follow-ups.

Now in January, usually death for new movies, here’s Mark Wahlberg, playing Daryl, a pilot flying an FBI agent Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) and her capture, Winston (Topher Grace), out of the snow-covered mountains of Alaska back to testify against a crime boss. They are in a rickety single-engine plane that looks dangerous just sitting on the ground.

Directed by Mel Gibson, this is a tense, but light-hearted, thriller that never lets up until the closing credits. Because there is no DEI here in the casting that seems to be required of Hollywood movies today, you probably won’t see this in the list of Oscar® contenders, but all three of the stars give award-quality performances, including Mark Wahlberg as you have never seen him.

But that’s not all. Gibson directs with a deft touch and the cinematography (Johnny Derango) is outstanding, capturing the stifling claustrophobic atmosphere of the small plane as frightening situations arise and seem to get worse as the plane flies over one snowcapped peak after another.

Even better, the script (Jared Rosenberg) keeps things light and humorous despite the desperate situation in which the characters find themselves.

You will have to go a long way to find a better, more entertaining movie. Bravo!