Flight Risk

Suspense thrillers have graced the movie screens for decades and some incredibly intense films have unfolded before our very eyes. "Fatal Attraction", "Jagged Edge", "Shutter Island", "Speed" and others have kept us on the edge of our seats. So now we have been offered "Flight Risk", as yet another nail-biter to sink our teeth into. 

In this high-stakes suspense thriller, Mark Wahlberg plays a pilot, Darryl Booth, transporting an Air Marshall Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive soon to be a witness, Winston (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem. As a routine flight, this turns into a nightmare as everyone on board has their reasons why Winston should not make it to trial. 

Others to round out the cast are Leah Remini as Carolyn Van Sant, Monib Abnat as Hasan, Paul Ben-Victor as Coleridge, Maaz Ali as Hasan (voice of), Eilise Guilfoyle as Janine and Senor Pablo as Bush Pilot. 

This was intensely directed with powerful grit by Mel Gibson ("Mel Gibson's Unauthorized Video Diary" (TV movie) '89, "The Man Without a Face" '93, "Braveheart" '95, "The Passion of the Christ" '04, "Apocalypto" '06, "Hacksaw Ridge" '16) plus TV and another TV movie. Gibson, as with other actors sliding into the directing realm, Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, George Clooney, Ron Howard, is a consummate actor as well as a captivating director, and this film is no exception. The way it was shot with a very claustrophobic feel to it simply added to the frenetic, suspenseful feel this film carried. Three people virtually carried the brunt of this and these actors carried their respective role off with a plethora of believability. This isn't the first time Gibson's worked with Wahlberg, with "Daddy's Home 2" and "Father Stu". This is the first time they've worked together as director and actor. It was brutally and intensely written by Jared Rosenberg. The fact that this writer has no other writing experience i.e. films, TV, shorts or videos astounds me since the writing was presented as though a seasoned writer penned it, There were a couple of places where the continuity slipped a bit, but not even to any degree where it affected the premise and how it was handled. It was concise, cohesive and kept its audience on the edge of their respective seats. 

If you're a suspense thriller aficionado, you will love this--it has it all, drama, explosiveness, suspense, excitement and even humor. Like the other films, this is yet another great teaming of Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson that works in a truly compelling way. Enjoy this and grab the popcorn!!

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: R                                              92mins.