Flight
An acclaimed airline pilot’s impossible act of courage collides with the addiction and dishonesty threatening to destroy his life.
Overview
A pilot's heroic act in the face of disaster leads to a turbulent battle with his own demons.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- harrowing
- tense
- morally conflicted
- serious movie night
- aviation film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Robert Zemeckis’s return to live-action filmmaking and Denzel Washington’s complex, compelling performance in a thoughtful addiction drama, while some aviation professionals questioned its realism.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Whip saves nearly everyone aboard the crippled aircraft while concealing severe alcohol and cocaine addiction.
Whip faces criminal charges and an official inquiry after toxicology results challenge the heroic interpretation of the crash.
The emergency descent and upside-down aircraft sequence provide the film’s defining visual set piece.
Whip is instructed to remain sober during the investigation but repeatedly struggles to let go of alcohol and drugs.
Films like Flight, and why
The Lost Weekend
shared addiction drama, moral crisis, institutional investigation, and a commanding lead performance
The Fighter
shared grounded character study of substance abuse, personal responsibility, and difficult recovery
Sully
shared high-stakes professional disaster, ethical accountability, and tense investigative drama
Leaving Las Vegas
shared intense portrait of addiction, denial, and a protagonist forced toward confession
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Release Date
- 2012-02-22
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (6617)
Cast
- Denzel Washington
- Don Cheadle
- Kelly Reilly
- John Goodman
- Bruce Greenwood
- Brian Geraghty
- Tamara Tunie
- Nadine Velazquez
- Peter Gerety
- Garcelle Beauvais
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Paramount Plus Essential, Starz Apple TV channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Flight about?
- An acclaimed airline pilot’s impossible act of courage collides with the addiction and dishonesty threatening to destroy his life.
- What is Flight like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Flight as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Flight violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Flight as moderate.
- What did critics think of Flight?
- Critics broadly praised Robert Zemeckis’s return to live-action filmmaking and Denzel Washington’s complex, compelling performance in a thoughtful addiction drama, while some aviation professionals questioned its realism.
- Which films are like Flight?
- Films with a similar feel include The Lost Weekend, The Fighter, Sully, and Leaving Las Vegas.
- How long is Flight?
- Flight runs 138 minutes.
- Where can I watch Flight?
- In United States, Flight streams on Paramount Plus Essential, Starz Apple TV channel.
