Flight Risk - Buckle Up

 

Rent on Apple TV and Amazon 

Playing in Theaters

    Regardless of the medium, one of my artistic preferences is maintaining a separation of the art from the artist, popularly referred to as "the death of the author." The artistic work deserves to be judged on its own merits and not the merits (or lack thereof) of the person who created the art. Case in point: there is nothing wrong with continuing to admire and appreciate a painting like "Dancer Taking a Bow" despite the sad fact that its creator, Edgar Degas, was an anti-Semite. Likewise, we can still enjoy the music of John Lennon despite his unforgivable history of domestic abuse. If the artistic work can stand on its merits, then it must be analyzed and enjoyed accordingly with little to no consideration for its creator. If we had to shun any work of art for the misgivings of its human creators, we would be doing the art a genuine disservice and ignoring our human flaws at our own peril. 

    Today's subject, Flight Risk, is a new prime example of the need to separate art from the artist. Despite the questionable history (to put it mildly) of its director, Mel Gibson, and the less-than-ideal activities of one of the film's stars, Mark Wahlberg, the film is a well-crafted and visceral thriller with witty writing, strong performances, and admirable technical aspects (more on that in a minute) that all make for a great time at the movies. This is one flight worth catching! 

    The story follows a U.S. Deputy Marshal named Madalyn (Michelle Dockery), escorting a cooperating witness named Winston (Topher Grace). Winston has just been caught and arrested in Alaska and has agreed to testify against a powerful crime boss in exchange for immunity. The two book a small plane to New York helmed by an unusual pilot named Daryl (Mark Wahlberg). As the flight takes off, our heroes discover that their pilot isn't all he appears to be and must now do all they can to survive while suspended three thousand feet. A literal high-octane experience, if ever there was one. 

    The film features some stunning performances, even those who don't appear on-screen. Because the film takes place almost entirely inside a small airplane, some of the supporting cast perform through phone calls to the main character. My favorite and recipient of the MVP award for the film goes to Maaz Ali as the charismatic pilot Hassan, who helps Madalyn fly the plane. It also must be said that Mark Wahlberg delivers a genuinely terrifying performance as the main villain. Mark gets the opportunity to stretch his talent in what I'm pretty sure is his first time playing the bad guy, or at least his first entirely villainous role that I can recall. 

    The technical aspects of the film are equally impressive. Rather than utilize a typical green screen technology, the film was primarily captured on a recently developed new kind of special-effect stage called the Volume: a massive curved LED screen that wraps around the subject to display any background needed for the scene. Essentially, it is the modern equivalent of rear projection. This technology was pioneered in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and appears to have been well perfected. According to an interview with director Mel Gibson and cinematographer Johnny Derango, the Volume set used for this film was the biggest that had ever been assembled to best accommodate the story's needs. An admirable feat all on its own. 

    Flight Risk may seem repetitive sometimes (there's only so much tension to be built from such a small concept), but it never feels dull or dragging at any point. Everyone involved appears to be having a fantastic time crafting a thoughtful and entertaining piece of work that deserves to be experienced. If you have ninety minutes to spare, your time will not feel wasted with this film. 

    Give it a look. 

Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.