Flight Risk review

FLIGHT RISK: 

MEL GIBSON AND A CARTOONISHLY HAMMY MARK WAHLBERG STRUGGLE TO LAND THIS PLANE! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: ** out of 4

LIONSGATE

Mark Wahlberg in Flight Risk

 

            Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Patriots Day, All the Money in the World) dons a bald cap and unleashes his crazy size with his most enjoyable performance since The Happening (What? No.) in Flight Risk, the new thriller from director Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge). My personal thoughts on Mel Gibson aside, I can’t deny the fact he puts his all into his craftsmanship behind the camera no matter the quality and what the general public thinks of it. 

            Films like Braveheart, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge are top-tier Gibson-directed movies that are amazing in spectacle, acting, and overall execution while The Passion of the Christ is easily his most divisive film (As a director). But he stuck to his guns, made it, and got it released resulting in the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time despite polarizing reactions from critics and audiences and controversy surrounding its subject matter. 

            Which brings us to Flight Risk, Mel Gibson’s first movie as a director since Hacksaw Ridge in 2016. I thought the movie looked interesting when I saw the trailer and that it had potential for a solid action-thriller in terms of the premise, plus a crazy Mark Wahlberg doing a Southern accent? Sign me the Hell up! 

            With the exception of The Passion of the Christ, I thought most of Mel Gibson’s films as a director were great with Hacksaw Ridge being the movie that made me start to reconsider my thoughts on him after various controversial incidents. Sadly, Flight Risk is not one of his best films and not even a cartoonish Mark Wahlberg performance could make the plane land. 

            The film follows U.S. Marshal, Madelyn Harris (Michelle Dockery-Downton Abbey, The Gentlemen, Boy Kills World) escorting a government witness named Winston (Topher Grace-That 70s Show, Spider-Man 3, BlacKkKlansman) from Alaska to trial after he is accused of getting involved with a mob boss. However, when charismatic pilot, Daryl Booth (Wahlberg) arrives to transport them, Madelyn and Winston soon discover he is actually a hitman sent to assassinate the informant. 

            After they subdue and restrain him, they are forced to fly together after discovering there are others attempting to eliminate them. 

            Overall, Flight Risk has potential for a strong action-thriller with lots of suspense, unfortunately much of its thrills are traded in for awkward humor, cheesy dialogue, and obnoxious characters (Namely Topher Grace’s character). One thing I never thought I’d see in a film from the director of Braveheart and Hacksaw Ridge was a sequence where Mark Wahlberg is giving a Topher Grace a “Titty Twister” and I couldn’t believe my eyes as I was watching it happen (When did this become Scary Movie 4?). 

            But it doesn’t stop there, there’s also this weird I guess, running joke about Topher Grace’s character urinating that starts as early as the opening scene in a motel room after Michelle Dockery’s character restrains him. I was laughing, but probably not in the way Gibson intended and more like I was trying to grasp what I was looking at and listening to. 

            Most of the film takes place in one location (In this movie’s case, a small airplane) and there are examples of movies set in a confined area that are executed well like 10 Cloverfield Lane. But you need to have an interesting story to keep the audience invested and when Mark Wahlberg isn’t acting crazy, this action-thriller is surprisingly boring even when interesting-sounding ideas are happening like a mole who’s secretly pulling the strings and Topher Grace’s mother’s life being threatened because it’s all through dialogue without you actually seeing it. 

            It seemed like a lot of this movie was either underdeveloped or skimmed over to make a 90-minute runtime. This is not a long movie at all so I guess I commend the film for not wasting too much of my time though I’d rather have a good movie that’s interesting and engaging throughout and the right length in order for it to work. 

            Despite the lackluster movie, Mark Wahlberg is hamming it up like crazy and he is the most entertaining part of the film. Wahlberg doing a fake Southern accent with a bald head and saying over-the-top lines is simply delightful and brings an element of joy to this almost nothing movie. 

            Michelle Dockery is fine as the U.S. Marshal, not a spectacular role by any means but not terrible either. She adds a lot of credibility and a more restrained performance compared to Wahlberg’s craziness. 

            Topher Grace is doing his usual shtick and I personally don’t have anything against him as an actor and person, but he is so freaking annoying in this movie. He’s constantly blabbering away, panicking, and saying dumb shit almost throughout the entire movie that whenever Dockery orders him to “Shut up!” I wanted to shout in the theater “Thank you!”. 

            I’ll also give the movie some credit from a cinematography perspective, the film is shot nice with tons of aerial shots of the Alaskan mountains that was at least pleasant to look at on the big screen. Yeah, that’s about it! 

            I don’t know guys, Flight Risk certainly isn’t an awful movie, but given the talent involved and that it somehow turned into a subpar and mostly forgettable action-thriller, it’s one flight I won’t be booking again anytime soon. If you want a better action-thriller set on an airplane, go watch Non-Stop starring Liam Neeson instead (Michelle Dockery is even in that movie too) because that movie had far better suspense, action, and a much more engaging story, the difference is night and day.