| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 12/07/2012 : 14:59:58
After a long and much-lauded acting career it's a given that Denzel Washington can and will nail everything a screenplay requires of him. Flight is no exception.
Once upon a time I was given the opportunity to hang out in Ronnie Scott's famous London jazz club before opening time. I got to watch legendary musicians rehearse - a joy! a revelation! One day as that week's headliner went into a song, there was a sound of chairs falling at the back of the room. A figure wove his way up to the stage, knocking over some more furniture along the way. The drummer instantly moved from his drum-kit as the amazing Philly Joe Jones plopped down and just took over the beat. He was living in London at the time, and alcohol was winning. But the second he sat down and started playing - he could have flown down from heaven.
There have, of course, been many films about the effects of alcoholism on a wide variety of people. Chaplin, WC Fields, Meg Ryan, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Nicolas Cage, Mickey Rourke, Ray Milland, Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Bing Crosby, Will Smith, James Mason, Kris Kristofferson, Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Jason Robards, Mo'Nique - these and more have excelled at digging deep to expose the human being swimming beneath the booze. Some relied heavily on personal experience, others acted their way to complete credibility.
Washington's right up there with the best of them. Always meticulous in his research and preparation, he transcends all intellectual analysis to present airline pilot Whip Whitaker - much loved and praised by colleagues, reviled by his ex-wife for fucking up the family, and caught in the kind of accident that will completely change his life.
Director Robert Zemeckis is currently raking in as much praise for what's commonly called "a return to form," as Washington is for his intense and perfectly judged addition to the cinema Alcoholic Hall of Shame.
Trouble is - there are only so many stories to be told from the starting line of this serious social condition. And the screenplay by actor turned screen-writer John Gatins simply doesn't add that much to our understanding. So it's up to Washington to fill in all the gaps.
He does this brilliantly, make no mistake. And to witness his journey is a painful but exhilarating thing of beauty.
I don't mean to minimize the contributions of the excellent support cast nor the ensemble work of the crew, but it's Washington's film. So, leave your story expectation for originality at home, and see it for him.
|
|
|
