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In “Flight Risk,” Mel Gibson’s latest directorial effort, attempts to deliver on high-altitude thrills but faces turbulent headwind conditions as it scrambles to stay aloft. Mainly confined within the tight confines of a small propeller plane flying over the treacherous Alaskan wilderness, it rounds up an impressive cast consisting of Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, and Topher Grace. This movie, though, has been on the receiving end of a range of critical responses, most of them not very flattering.
The story follows Deputy U.S. Marshal Madelyn Harris, who is assigned to escort Winston, a four-eyed mob accountant turned state’s witness, from a remote Alaskan hideout to testify in a high-profile trial. Their transport is a precariously small aircraft piloted by the affable yet mysterious Daryl Booth. As the journey wears on, the trio faces increasing danger that uncovers ulterior motives and puts their survival instincts to the test.
Critics have been divided in their assessments. The Guardian allows that the film is “diverting and ingenious,” with “game performances” from the lead actors. The review praises Wahlberg’s “goofy and puppyish” charm, Grace’s “nerdy, nervy” performance, and Dockery’s ability to “style out the obvious absurdity of the situation.”
Contrarily, Vulture points out the complete lack of tension in the film, and characters doing implausible things to say, “starts falling apart, as this is essentially a gimmicky movie.” In this context, the screenplay by Jared Rosenberg was termed “inept,” squandering every possibility offered by such a high-concept movie premise.
The performances have also been a point of contention. Awards Radar says that Dockery is “incredibly bland, like some cut-rate version of a Law & Order cast member,” and Grace is “wildly annoying” with humor that’s “not landing.” Wahlberg’s “crazed overacting” only adds to the film’s overall uneven tone.
But within its brief 91 minutes, Flight Risk suffers from tonal shifts that veer wildly between suspense and accidental humor. What should be a pressure cooker-a confined setting-reduces to a stage on which improbable plot twists and character actions are enacted with a seeming disregard for credibility.
All in all, Flight Risk tries hard to be a white-knuckle thriller but gets tangled in its fractured narrative and inconsistent acting performances. With the sprinkles of intrigue, it allows glimpses into the mid-air tension the movie promises but fails to assemble the pieces for an engaging film experience. Fans looking for high-octane thrillers might disembark with disappointment at the unrealized expectation.
