I feel this is one of the best psychological portraits of a drunk. And simultaneously I believe this is one of the best performances of Denzel Washington's entire carreer. I have seen ALL his films, from the eighties till now. This performance just makes me silent, in awe... I wanna advice the fans of other very popular Denzel Washington actionmovies to think twice though, because this is not a regular fun packed action movie at all. It is more suited for the arthouse movie lover, who is into subtle portraits of human shortcomings. This is an intelligent, slowburning movie with lots of room for dialogues. I love it, but the masses might find it boring.Denzel Washington's character is severely addicted to alcohol, but he is in full denial. While being drunk he shouts: "I choose to drink, because I dont speak to my wife and son anymore. But I choose to not speak to them anymore and therefore I choose to drink". Does this make any sense? To an alcoholic it perhaps does. Booze is harder to get clean of than many other harddrug, like heroin for instance. Booze is everywhere. Temptation to start drinking again lurks around every corner. Only the alcholic himself can decide to make a clean start. First he must acknowledge though that he is a drunk. Then he must have something to live for, when being sober. Otherwise the temptation to surpress the inner mental pain wont go away after being sober and will trigger another drinking rampage. And another..Director Robert Zemeckis isnt know for dramas at all. A few years later he made "Allied" with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, another great subtle portrait of deceit. And deceit is what lies beneath any addiction too, because one has to fool oneself into believing that drugs are the cure to make any pain go away.It does for the short term, that's why drugs are so evil, they lure you in with their promise of quick relief of any pain, but drugs slowly destroy your soul in the long run...I wanna give lots of praise for the soundtrack, editing, photography and direction. This is one of those dramas in which everthing just worked out perfect. Powerful and subtle. Evil and rejoicing. Doomed and hopeful. Those extremes come to mind, thinking about "Flight". I believe this to be the masterpiece of director Robert Zemeckis.In memory of Ed Limato (1936-2010)

Denzel Washington is is top form in Robert Zemeckis's plane drama flight. Washington plays a pilot addicted to booze and the occasional cocaine. An addict, on the day of the tragic flight he wakes up after snorting cocaine the night before and mixes vodka in his orange juice aboard the plane. Not due to his fault the plane hits some issues and ends up floating upside down before being landed by him, an act for which he is considered a hero. However, upon drug test reposts it is realized that he was indeed inebriated and then the judicial system comes into play. This is a good movie and features a harrowing plane crash sequence. Washington is the soul of the film and even though he is not a good man, we side with him.

I think it will neither add nor remove anything out of this movie. Initially, I thought it was going to be about a plane crash but as it went on, this story turned into a very true and moving story. There were a couple of actings, specially from one of the flight attendants who survived, which I felt kind of too flat and expected. Otherwise, I liked the gist of story and also the behind-the-scenes investigations when there is an plane accident. Apart from this crash, the whole story line about alcoholism and its consequences was very well developed and it touches deep fibers. I think this is a very didactical movie that can give a lesson to many people who struggle with this disease.

FLIGHT is an actor's showcase for the excellent Denzel Washington - one of my favourite stars working today - and a nice change of pace for Robert Zemeckis, a director usually mired in making kid-friendly movies. This one's definitely an adult film, telling the story of Washington's addicted pilot and his efforts to save the lives of his passengers during a disaster. This early sequence is inevitably the greatest in the film and a triumph of special effects and direction. The lengthy story that follows becomes a drawn-out character piece with courtroom scenes, legal battles, and most of all personal battles with the demons of drink and drugs. Washington is superb, which is no surprise, but it is a surprise to see British actress Kelly Reilly - previously best known for fare like EDEN LAKE - equally convincing as a fellow addict. The film is made with stylish and professionalism, and draws to an end in a very satisfying way.