de facto film reviews 2.5 stars

Much can be said, and has been said, about the problematic nature of Mel Gibson. Setting aside his previous antics and despicable behavior, the man does know how to make a movie. His latest film diverts away from his typically ambitious filmmaking for something more small-scale, opting in craftsman mode for the first time in his career. While no one will confuse this with Apocalypto or The Passion of the Christ, Gibson’s newest film is a tense chamber piece that, despite its glaring flaws, is a good deal of fun.

Courtesy Lionsgate

Air Marshal Madolyn Harris (Michelle Dockery) is in charge of arresting Winston (Topher Grace), a rogue accountant for the mob, in Alaska where he is hiding off the grid. Agreeing to testify against them for full immunity, Madolyn must escort Winston on a small plane across the Alaskan wilderness where he is awaited at trial in Seattle. However, things quickly go awry when the pilot, by the name of Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg), turns out to not be their pilot, but a sadistic hired assassin looking to kill Winston before he can testify. With their GPS system and flight navigation taken off line, Madolyn must figure out a way to land the plane safely and prevent Wahlberg’s deadly hired gun from killing them.

As his first directorial outing in almost nine years since his World War 2 epic Hacksaw Ridge, director Mel Gibson shifts gears from his big-budget historical epics for a suspenseful, largely one-location thriller. Flight Risk is half the runtime of his Best Picture-winning Braveheart and it’s all the better for it. This is a tightly wound thriller that features some of Gibson’s trademark propulsive pacing. Undeniably, this is a disposable January programmer at heart, but one that is greatly elevated by the craft of director Mel Gibson. Scripted by Jared Rosenberg, this is a structurally refined film, but one that is often repetitive. Gibson moves the film at a brisk speed and it never wears out its welcome, but it is a thriller that is consistently undercut by gaps in logic.

Wahlberg’s assassin character is handcuffed to the back of the plane for much of the runtime, leaving him to play psychological games with Madolyn and Winston, digging into their flaws and skeletons in their closet. This means Wahlberg is left to rummage around the plane the best he can to try and break free, which almost never gets the attention of the other two characters. Essentially, he could be making cookies in the back and our leads wouldn’t know a thing. Sometimes this gives way for some explosive moments of violence; sometimes this leads to the same snarling back and forth we’ve seen from an earlier scene.

Courtesy Lionsgate

Gibson gets some great use of suspense through the tools at his disposal. A misplaced knife is used to great effect to further escalate tension and Wahlberg’s psychotic performance is a real highlight. Having actually shaved part of his head to play the balding assassin, this isn’t a very substantive villainous role, but it gives Wahlberg an excuse to chew scenery and play a villain for the first time since his 1996 thriller Fear. Despite Wahlberg’s fun performance, the actor is surprisingly underutilized despite being one of three actors on-screen for the majority of the runtime. The greater focus is on Dockery and Grace’s characters, but Wahlberg’s character is typically tied up in the back of the plane unconscious, or is fidgeting to break his way out. There are extended periods of time where the character simply is not on-screen for large chunks of the film.

Michelle Dockery and Topher Grace are committed to the film, but these characters are nothing memorable. Dockery attempts to mine any bit of depth out of her fairly bland character and does a capable enough job of carrying the film when Wahlberg is off-screen. Grace’s wise-ass, motor mouth fugitive has the bulk of the film’s corniest jokes which only spark an occasional chuckle. The wimpy, anxiety-ridden Winston feels like a character Grace would’ve played nearly 20 years ago fresh off the success of his hit sitcom That 70’s Show. There are moments of humanization to the character, such as when his mother’s life is threatened and knows he can’t do anything to stop it, but there isn’t much. His relationship with the mob is only hinted at in a few lines of dialogue, and we never get a full sense of who this character is and what his ultimate goals are.

Courtesy Lionsgate

Flight Risk is more well-crafted and involving than your typical January thriller, but is largely still a disposable early-year programmer. While not fully utilized, Mark Wahlberg is fun as a sadistic and bald assassin. Director Mel Gibson has made far bolder and more exciting films, but he infuses enough slick action beats to satisfy undemanding audiences.

Flight Risk is now playing in theaters.