The Pilot

Super movie. Aviation and alcoholism; rich movie topics done well. Haven't seen in 20 years. But I remember very well. It seems the CAT-III approach to SanFran was close to accurate for 1978. That's probably due to Cliff Robertson's knowledge of all things with wings. He also ended up directing the second half of the movie. Who with flying in their blood could resist the shots of the old DC-8 in flight?

The pilot's resistance to recovery is also on the bullseye. As well as his high level of functioning while under the influence.

This is the most technically accurate aviation movie I have ever seen. I only noticed one mistake (autopilot was disconnected with the fuel shutoff lever). Appears to have been filmed in an actual DC-8. The treatment of alcoholism also seems plausible.

While the photography is beautiful, the premise of an airline pilot who drinks in the "blue room" during flights is a bit absurd. The low altitude flying scene of the venerable DC-8 over the deserts of the western U.S. is memorable, and accompanied by a superb musical score.

One of Denzel Washington's best films is "Flight"...the story of a drug and alcohol addicted pilot who manages to function amazingly well while hiding his addiction. I loved the movie and recommend you see it. I mention this because I watched "The Pilot" tonight and was surprised it was very much the same story...but made 32 years earlier!

Cliff Robertson both stars in "The Pilot" but directed it as well. Mike Hagen is an amazingly talented pilot. Through the course of the story, you see him make amazing decisions that saved his airliner...which is all the more amazing because he's actively drinking...even while flying the plane! Clearly his life out of the sky is falling apart...but he somehow manages to hold it together at work. The story eventually leads to others discovering his addiction and his reaction to this is what much of the story is about in the second half of the film.

I found a couple things about the movie pretty interesting. In real life, Robertson really WAS an experienced and excellent pilot. He also previously made one of the greatest made for TV films of all time, "Days of Wine and Roses". The film also found him playing an alcoholic and the story was so successful that it was later remade in Hollywood starring Jack Lemmon.

So is the story any good? Yes, though I must admit that "Flight" is a much stronger film. In other words, it's a very good film...but one that lacks the impact of the later movie. Well worth seeing in spite of this.

I'm not a pilot so the fact that so many reviewers appreciated the cockpit scenes is an added plus. I liked the movie because of its accurate depiction of an alcoholic and his recovery. The insidiousness of alcoholism is shown well. The relationships of people close to the alcoholic, to those who want to help and how the alcoholic hides or believes that he hides his problem are also very true to life. Not only is the movie uplifting because it shows that recovery is possible but also there is a strong "follow your heart and your passion" message. Finally, is it just me or is the new movie, Flight, by Zemekis with Denzel a total ripoff of this movie?? Seriously, saw the new movie yesterday which is a good movie but during the movie, I was going, "Wait, I saw this movie already about thirty years ago."