In Flight Risk, a pilot (Mark Wahlberg) transporting an air marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
Directed by Mel Gibson, Flight Risk delivers an impressive mixture of concept, cast and execution. The suspense of the movie is relentless, moving from one nail-biting scene to the next while keeping the viewers engaged throughout its runtime. Reminiscent of Speed, the film takes inspiration from a tried-and-true formula, but does enough to stand on its own.
Initially, the dialogue of the movie comes across as jarring, as they seem to be in stark contrast to the tone of the movie. This creative decision makes a lot of sense as the story continues to unfold and take a darker turn. To offset the bleakness of the script, the dialogue is written in a way to provide levity, which ends up providing characterisation to characters in a surprisingly effective way. Bolstered by an excellent cast, Flight Risk is surprisingly dramatic, with three of its lead actors bringing tremendous credibility to the feature.
Visually, Flight Risk offers plenty of aerial shots that serve the narrative well. Conversely, its usage of computer-generated effects feel a little off, especially in the third act. In addition, the script relies on exposition to fill in some of the narrative gaps, albeit in an effective way that brings in a level of suspense. Fortunately, the various aspects of the feature are effective enough to keep most viewers entertained.
All in all, Gibson’s latest directorial effort has excitement, the dread of crash landing, with an excellent cast that elevates a simple premise. Although it might not have been as enormous in scale as previous Gibson directed flicks such as Hacksaw Ridge or Braveheart, Flight Risk manages to soar above expectations.
