By Keith Walther | RLGR
If you’re expecting this film to be another Mel Gibson classic, you’ll be sorely disappointed. “Flight Risk” is a run-of-the-mill action thriller that’s predominantly filmed aboard a small puddle jumper to enhance the claustrophobic suspense. Unfortunately, the premise and story are flawed and pretty outlandish with predictable outcomes.
Hiding out deep in Alaska, an accountant by the name of Winston (Topher Grace) is caught and apprehended by U.S. Marshal Madolyn (Michelle Dockery). Quickly striking a deal to testify against his former employer, a notorious crime boss, Winston must be transported back to civilization and safety as a cooperating witness. The two of them board a small, rickety propeller plane piloted by Daryl (Mark Wahlberg). As luck would have it, Daryl is a hit man sent to kill Winston, leading to a tense standoff 3,000 feet above the vast, mountainous wilderness of Alaska.
After helming films like “Braveheart,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “Apocalypto,” and “Hacksaw Ridge,” one would think Mel Gibson is incapable of making a bad movie. Think again. Oddly enough, Mel directs this project in as simplistic of a manner as possible with little regard for plausibility. The Oscar winning director flies this thriller down a well-worn flight path, exercising very little in the way of creativity. This makes for a typical, forgettable filmgoing experience. With a runtime of an hour and a half that only took 3 weeks to film, “Flight Risk” is clearly not a project to which Mel was very committed.
Gibson does make an effort to entertain, however, incorporating some intense action sequences and surprising humor, both intentional and unintentional. In fact, if he had chosen to fully embrace the silliness of the situation, he could have created a fairly decent action comedy. Instead, it comes up short as a realistic suspense thriller with a faulty premise. For instance, the pilot/hitman has the element of surprise in the beginning, so being a professional killer, it only makes sense he would take advantage of that surprise and strike before even taking off, but he inexplicably chooses to fly his potential victims and risk the inevitable exposure. The flawed logic persists throughout the film further eroding reality, especially when the prop plane is flown right into a snowbank on top of a mountain but continues as if it was simply a cloud. Then there’s the flirtatious pilot over the radio, sweet talking the U.S. Marshal while instructing her how to fly the plane.
Best known for her role as Lady Mary in “Downton Abbey,” Michelle Dockery is an English actress who seems out of her element as a U.S. Marshal. She’s quite unconvincing as a highly trained law enforcement professional, making wild assumptions and accusations without a shred of evidence, trying to subdue a trained killer, and strangely accepting advances over the radio all while attempting to control a plane. She fails to provide any kind of depth for her character, which doesn’t allow the audience to connect and empathize with her situation.
Mark Wahlberg does a fine job portraying the antagonist, supplying his character with charming banter initially to put the other two characters at ease, only to turn to ruthless aggression once the jig is up. He fully embraces a sadistic quality to his character that makes him an unredeemable villain audiences can root against. Mark even goes to the extent of partially shaving his head rather than wearing a bald cap to embody the role more completely and believably. Surprisingly, this is the first villain role he’s had since “Fear” in 1996.
The real scene stealer, however, is shockingly Topher Grace, who provides a vast majority of the comic relief. His deadpan line delivery and physical reactions during action scenes are hilarious, which honestly save the film from being a complete waste of time. The former star of the TV hit series “That ‘70s Show” is perfectly suited for this role as a nerdy accountant type who finds himself in over his head.
If you go into this with limited expectations and a suspension of reality, you might actually have a good enough time. “Flight Risk” is basically a smaller, and in some ways weaker version of 1997’s “Turbulence,” and it is an oddly frivolous entry into Mel Gibson’s illustrious filmography as a director. Still, there’s enough comedy and action to be a satisfying in-flight movie to pass the time en route to your destination.
This movie earns: