By Tony R. B.
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| Denzel Washington as an Airline Pilot, Captain "Whip" Whitaker, and drug and alcohol addict. |
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| Captain Whitaker and his Co-Pilot just before the fatal take-off and crash that killed eight passengers. |
William
“Whip” Whitaker (played by Washington) is a seasoned commercial airline pilot who
miraculously crash lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving all but
eight passengers. After the crash, Whip is hailed as a hero, but as more details
become known about events leading up to the crash, more questions than answers
arise regarding who or what was really at fault? For instance, we learn that
Whip drinks too
much, uses cocaine excessively, and has unadulterated sex with various women
including one of his own flight attendants, Katerina (played by Nadine
Velázquez), who is among the casualties of the crash. From the very first scene,
it is disturbingly apparent that Whip has issues with addiction. The true
extent of his problems is not so obvious―at first, but one thing is evident―he never
publicly or privately admits that he
has a problem, at least not until the end of the film. To complicate matters, there
are a variety of social enablers in his life who allow Whip to continue his
destructive behavior either by virtue of active participation, passive
resistance, or simple acquiesce.
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| Shown clockwise from top: Washington, Cheadle, Reilly, and Goodman |
First,
we meet Harling Mays (played by John Goodman), who is Whip’s drug dealer and “friend.”
Harling actively perpetuates Whip’s substance abuse by supplying him
with the means of self-destruction (i.e. alcohol and cocaine) on a regular
basis and is, thus, seen as the consummate social enabler. He displays no regard or regret, nor
assumes responsibility, for the negative consequences that result from Whip’s
drug usage. Secondly, Whip begins a romantic relationship with a recovering
addict named Nicole (played by Kelly Reilly). Through his dysfunctional relationship
with Nicole, we see a man trying to find happiness, yet is incapable of doing
so because he is flawed and tortured by the constant pain he inflicts on others
closest to him. Nicole knows Whip is an addict, yet she is
not courageous enough to demand that he quit. Instead, she quietly and
passively leaves him to face his demons alone. Lastly, while preparing for the
legal dilemma facing him, we meet Whip’s attorney, Hugh Lang (played by Don
Cheadle), who is a brilliant litigator with a winning track record for getting
his clients exonerated. Through various legal maneuverings, Lang arrogantly anticipates
Whip’s vindication despite his knowledge of Whip’s addiction to alcohol and
cocaine; he is even successful at suppressing a toxicology report, which confirms
that Whip had been drinking while flying the plane when it crashed. Thus, Lang’s actions
represent the ultimate act of acquiesce, which enables Whip to travel down his
dark and desperate road unchallenged.
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| The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing to determine Captain Whitaker's (Washington) involvement in the plane crash that killed eight people, including flight attendant, Katerina (shown). |
Finally,
during his NTSB hearing, details of empty alcohol bottles found in the plane’s trash
are uncovered, as well as Katerina’s toxicology report showing that she had
been drinking that day, resulting in a foregoing conclusion that she somehow contributed
to the plane's crash. In a moment of unusual clarity and sacrifice, Whip makes a
selfless confession about his own intoxication level while flying the airplane that fatal day. Thus, in
order to maintain the good name of Katerina, he finally admits to himself (and
to others) that he is an addict and
a danger to the public. Whip is subsequently sentenced to prison
where his narrative is shared with other inmates as part of a support group
discussion and where he insists, ironically for the first time, that he
actually feels “free.” And by the end of the film, we realize that the
title, Flight, is not just about a tragic airplane story; it is an allegory
for the often painful, lonely, dark, and tragic journey that one, struggling
with addiction, has to endure before finally discovering his own path to redemption.
See the theatrical trailer here: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2384176153/
Flight: – not to be confused with Flight of the Condor
By Cassandra M.
The movie Flight
starring Denzel Washington gives a different spin on survival under the most
unforeseen set of circumstances. How many times can one person be saved after
surviving a plane crash? Apparently, William “Whip” Whitaker embodies the
spirit of felines that are said to have nine lives. In this riveting movie,
Denzel Washington plays the character of pilot Whip Whitaker who has a
reputation for being a great pilot. Anyone
on the ground witnessing a plane falling from the sky in an inverted position
would assume they were looking at what would later be described as one of the worst
plane crashes in history. They would be wrong. Especially since the pilot at
the controls is none other than Whip Whitaker, pilot extraordinaire. Similar to
the heroic actions of real world pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, who landed a US
Airways jet in the Hudson River, Whip’s (Denzel Washington) calm demeanor
during the plane’s mid-air malfunction and miracle landing is seen as a feat of
epic proportion with Whip hailed as a hero.
Unfortunately, when Whip is confronted about the possibility
of pilot error being the cause of the crash, he dons his rose colored glasses
and only wants to remind people that, “no one could have landed that plane like
I did, no one.” Yes, the majority of the passengers were saved, but do you
really want to fly with a pilot who was up all night drinking and doing drugs?
Thus begins the on-going storyline of everyone coming to the
aid of Whip but Whip. After crash landing the ill-fated flight, Whip and the
passengers are assisted on the ground by a group of parishioners who just
happened to be in the same field the crash occurred in having a baptismal
service. Throughout the movie, there are a number of people who try to save Whip
from imminent and continuous danger at his own hands.
During his stay in the hospital, Whip meets Kelly Reilly
(Nicole) who survived a near death experience of her own when she overdosed on
drugs. Nicole and Whip are drawn together by an unusual set of circumstances
and Whip invites her to live with him at his boyhood farm where he has moved to
avoid the media and reporters. Whip had earlier disposed of all the alcohol and
drugs he had in numerous locations in the house and on the property. One would
think from these actions that Whip has finally come to the realization that he
does indeed have a problem but before the day ended, he had begun restocking
his alcohol supply. With the threat of possible prosecution looming over him,
Whip reverts back to his dependence on drugs and alcohol concerned with the
possibility of prosecution if the results of his blood tests become known. Nicole tries to help Whip with his addiction
problem by inviting him to join her at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, but
Whip only stays for a short time since he feels his drinking and drug use is
under control. When Nicole realizes that
Whip’s drinking and drug use is only getting worse, she packs and leaves before
she too succumbs to the ever present drugs that are a constant reminder of how
close she came to ending her life.
Whip’s attorney comes to his rescue when the lab results are
excluded from the investigation results by his attorney, Hugh Lang (Don
Cheadle) who has to continually stress to Whip that he needs to stop drinking
in order to walk away from the incident with no jail time. Whip ignores Lang’s pleas and continues his
drug and alcohol use.
Unlike Flight of the
Phoenix where the crash victims band together in order to survive, Whip is
left to his own survival or demise as he is aided by another survivor who was
not a passenger on the flight. In the end, Whip comes to his own rescue when he
admits during a public hearing of the plane crash that he was intoxicated and
on drugs during the mishap. In an effort to save the reputation of a
crewmember, Whip eventually saves himself and others through his confession. Director, Robert Zemeckis did an outstanding
job of directing the film’s cast in this pivotal portrayal of unlikely people
coming to the aid of others.
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