FLIGHT RISK is a 2024 action thriller directed by Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Hacksaw Ridge), from a screenplay by Jared Rosenberg.
A pilot transports an Air Marshal accompanying a fugitive to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
The cast includes Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace.
FLIGHT RISK made its debut in theaters January 24th, courtesy of Lionsgate Movies.
To be honest, when the first trailer dropped for FLIGHT RISK, I almost assumed it would be a direct to streaming movie. For one thing, the trailer sort of came out of nowhere, and I came across it when I was browsing trailers in general, as I often do. Once I watched the trailer, it just seemed a little bit low budget to me and limited with the overall setting. Now it’s obviously hard to ignore the fact that Mel Gibson directed the film or Mark Wahlberg‘s involvement, so either way I was intrigued. Once the official trailer dropped the marketing campaign really ramped up and you could tell that the movie was going to be a wide release. Plus at the end of the day, Mark Wahlberg is going to fill seats with his involvement regardless.
As I made my way to the theater, I was prepared to be disappointed considering my initial thoughts and the negative reviews from early screenings, but honestly, I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. FLIGHT RISK is a very linear thriller in the sense that it only has a few characters and everything takes place primarily in this small plane, but it still sucked me in and had a certain entertainment value that was unique in some way. Overall, the film had a big enough thrill factor to keep me engaged, but it also had a lot of humor that was sort of sprinkled throughout in these unexpected moments but still made you laugh, even though the tension was pretty high at the time.
The theater I was in consisted of mostly older people which wasn’t surprising to me as they are less likely to be swayed by critic review, plus like I said Mark Wahlberg‘s name alone would entice people. Throughout the film the entire audience was engaged and everyone even laughed out loud several times, and overall I felt like the experience was very positive.
Now the story itself is pretty run of the mill in the sense that we’ve all kind of seen it before, but I felt like they still handled it pretty well and focused on what mattered most in the film, which is the actors and the characters themselves. First and foremost I really liked Mark Wahlberg in what is a pretty unique role for him. He plays a very polarizing character who you despise pretty much right away, but you still can’t help but be entertained by and at times laugh at.
I also felt like his character was fairly complex because you could tell he was clearly a charismatic sociopath, but you also weren’t quite sure what his motives were or to what lengths he would go. To say he was a loose cannon would be an understatement for sure. I had mixed feelings early on from Topher Grace from That 70’s Show, but he grew on me towards the end of the movie and helped add a surprising emotional element. I thought Michelle Dockery was solid throughout the film.
From the opening scene FLIGHT RISK lacked the gritty feel I thought a film like this desperately needed which had me concerned. As things progressed this concern didn’t go away, at least not right away, but as the tone of the film became a bit more obvious I started to feel that much more immersed in what was taking place on-screen. I mean to be honest I can’t quite put a finger on the overall tone of the film, but by the end it worked. It feels a bit corny at times with some of the dialogue and the character interactions, but as ulterior motives are fleshed out things get to be a bit more grounded FLIGHT RISK really hits hard.
FLIGHT RISK is far from perfect but for me it was a very entertaining hour and 30 minutes, and I actually thought the film’s final act was thrilling and sort of ended exactly how it should have. The film also has some great visuals with some cool scenic shots of Alaska, which was a nice touch as well. If you want to pick this movie apart you certainly can, but for my money this is worth a trip to the theater.
THE VERDICT
A straight-forward thriller that packs a much bigger punch than I anticipated, Mel Gibson‘s FLIGHT RISK features Mark Wahlberg as an unhinged psychopath while carefully balancing tense action mixed with effective and timely comedic moments.
I honestly don’t have the energy for people who enjoy picking movies apart just so they can try and sound smarter than they really are, which in my opinion is about 90% of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Plus let’s be honest, Mel Gibson isn’t exactly universally loved in Hollywood. A movie like FLIGHT RISK is admittedly flawed and unapologetically simple, yet rewarding for viewers willing to give it a chance.
TED TAKES RATING - 6.5/10
FLIGHT RISK is now playing only in theaters. Check out the latest trailer below.