Amenaza en el aire

Flight Risk is Mel Gibson's latest film (a thriller/action piece) and stars Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace. It made my list of most anticipated for the year, and much like my experience with Wolf Man, I enjoyed this film for what it was. Simple plot, decent acting and action, and not anything that wears out its welcome. While there are some nitpicks I had about various moments that didn't feel quite so solid, the film as a whole was enjoyable enough that I wasn't pissed or disappointed. As I've mentioned before, I consider that a win these days. Video review is on my YouTube channel.

Flight Risk is the very definition of the term "Straight to DVD movie" from which I know it is a redundant statement in the modern era, but you get the point. The film is a low-budget thriller with a decent premise to kill an evening, and with Mel Gibson directing at the helm, I thought it might be worth checking out. Unfortunately, the film doesn't pay off as anything remarkable. Mark Wahlberg is introduced as a wise-cracking, charismatic pilot who holds the screen well initially, but the character fails to blossom throughout the film to anything interesting. My main confusion is the tone, the movie consistently juggles between a sort of intense thriller and an intentional comedy. However, I didn't find the jokes or light humor funny and considering the situation they are all placed in, it just perplexed me. I feel that if the film focused on being a straight up thriller, it could have been a pretty decent little flick. Not to mention a final shot that I found a rather bizarre choice to end on. Overall, Flight Risk contains strong performances, and is nicely directed, but narratively speaking it could have been a lot better.

I like the actors so I really thought this would be a good film, but it just wasn't!

It became obvious very quickly that all was not what it seemed and then the generic lines started. It's almost as if you can see the actors waiting for each other to say their lines which is so strange when they are all seasoned pros.

There was some incredibly frustrating action scenes and some parts that were just annoying. Like in a horror movie when then run upstairs, I spent most of the time wondering why they didn't just kill the bad person.

I'm not sure if this was a lockdown film but let's face it most of those were rubbish and if this wasnt then the only reason it's a bad film must be because of the director and script.

It's not a high concept movie by any stretch. But, it is an entertaining flick. And, it's the first time Wahlberg has played an actual bad guy since 1996's Fear. And not to give anything away, but damn, his character gets taken to task to say the least.

Topher Grace is...Topher Grace in this movie. His character really could've been played by any number of actors. The same could be said for the actress who played the FBI agent. But in reality, none of the characters actually required in depth character study or to be standout. It was just a matter of getting actors to sign onto the film who could competently pull off the scenes.

So again, it's a decent film overall. I don't think anyone will walk out feeling disappointed or angry about spending their time or money watching it. And as run of the mill as it is, it's still better than what's being nominated for an Academy award this year.

I left the theaters about 25-30 mins ago and wrote this review

The movie isn't as bad as many critics say. I think Wahlberg does a fine job, as smooth and natural on-screen as he always is; and I like the lead actress who plays Agent Harris. The movie essentially takes place in one location (the plane), which might sound dull; but the pacing is well-done. I got reminded of movies like Panic Room and Phone Booth. In between the dueling with Wahlberg's character, the lead actress talks via satellite phone / radio with the US Marshall's office as well as a pilot who guides her: those parts are actually entertaining too. The radio-pilot (named Hasaan) has some charming lines, and the plot thread with the US Marshal's office adds another layer of suspense

That said -- it's still a very flawed movie. The premise requires large suspension of belief, and the plot follows a safe and predictable route that we've seen hundreds of times. All of the twists in this movie are poor; we can see those twists coming from a mile away. And while I like Walhberg and Dockery in their roles, I think that Topher Grace (the informant character) is not good. He displays some very poor acting at times. His character also inserts far too many comedic lines and moments, which broke up the tone. The movie involves two people trapped in a decrepit plane, surrounded by the desolate and harsh Alaskan mountains, with no pilot to steer the plane; yet somehow, the film atmospherically fails to convey the sense of dread and horror that you'd expect

And lastly - Wahlberg sports a balding hairstyle to make his character look creepier, I guess. But I thought this detail was poorly done. As soon as his character's toupee falls off, we actually can see that Wahlberg has a perfect hairline; he merely shaved the top of his head. The filmakers should have used some cosmetics to cover his hairline and make his look more realistic

5.5/10.