Flight Risk

Flight Risk
Starring Michelle Dockery, Mark Wahlberg, Topher Grace, Leah Remini
Directed by Mel Gibson

Mel Gibson used to be a man respected in Hollywood, but lately his reputation has taken a few hits, and not in a good way. He directed some amazing work including the Oscar-winning "Braveheart," "Apocalypto," "Hacksaw Ridge" and "The Passion of the Christ," so his return to the director's chair was seen as a possible silver lining for the newly appointed ambassador to Hollywood, but sadly the result is a movie that never takes off, prattles on with repetitive dialogue and nonsensical decisions, and tries to throw in some twists that don't land, leaving for a conclusion that was equal parts groan-inducing and gut-busting humorous in all the wrong ways.

Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) is a disgraced Deputy U.S. Marshal who's last assignment ended in tragedy, but she's been given a second chance by her superior officer Caroline Van Sant (Leah Remini) when she's tasked with taking Winston (Topher Grace), an accountant for a high-profile crime family, agrees to testify against him. They fly from a small Alaskan town to Anchorage in a small two-seater plane flown by "Daryl Booth" (Mark Wahlberg).

As the plane takes off, Winston discovers a license under "Daryl's" seat with the real Daryl pictured, and knows that the man piloting isn't Daryl. His cover blown, Daryl attempts to subdue Madolyn, but she gets the upper hand and chains him to the back of the plane. Having been hired by the crime family to kill Winston before he could testify, the pilot struggles to break free and accomplish his goal, while Madolyn struggles with learning how to fly the plane while also dealing with a possible mole in the organization.

"Flight Risk" is one of those action movies you'll see on TNT or TBS, the short tightly placed action film with all the generic dialogue and action sequences that feels like it was made in the 90s. There's not a lot of meat to these bones, and everything could've been resolved rather quickly, but instead the thinly written script forces you to strap in for the most boring film set to the skies, and for someone scared to death of heights, I didn't find myself worried in the least, except for attempting to keep my eyes open.

That's not to say it's a terrible film. It's done well, the performances are adequate, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with it, just nothing that makes it justify its own existence. Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace feel like they were forced at gunpoint to star in this, and Mark Wahlberg does channel his inner psycho that we haven't seen since "Fear," but even he comes off as more irritating than dangerous, who's dialogue is reduced to repeatedly saying, "I'm going to enjoy this." Maybe you'll enjoy it, but no one watching it will.

The movie tries to include different events occurring at the same time to make it exciting, but it just is reduced to different beats going in order. The pilot is a hitman. Madolyn can't fly the plane. People she talks to may or may not be on the crime family's dime. The pilot is a hitman and escapes his restrains. Madolyn can't fly the plane. People she talks to may or may not be on the crime family's dime. Repeat again and again. There's no suspense, no excitement, and nothing worth worrying about because you know the final outcome a mile away, even if the final scene is laughably bad and completely nonsensical.

The Score: D