Flight

Flight (2012) starring Denzel Washington, Kelly Reilly, Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, John Goodman. William "Whip" Whitaker (Washington), an airline pilot, is forced to bring an airliner in for an emergency landing in which six people are killed. The toxicology report shows that he had a .24 alcohol level, not to mention cocaine in his blood. The movie becomes a portrait of a man who is a substance abuser, and who doesn't want to stop being a substance abuser. Mostly, he drinks. He says that he can stop whenever he wants, but he never stops -- even when the NTSB is investigating him and he faces life in prison. Even though the film starts with a slam-bang action scene, it is not an action movie. It's more of a film about addiction, and how one man comes to terms with it. I found it highly entertaining, and Washington was very good in the starring role. (Subtitles are available for the hearing-impaired, as well as closed captions.) Grade: B+