Okay, 2025 thriller Flight Risk doesn’t exactly follow the traditional formula. Although, Mel Gibson plays it safe with this one. A small criminal turns on the crime boss he works for. He is collected and transported via a Cessna type airplane. Their pilot turns out to be an assassin hired by said crime boss; hi-jinks ensue.
This is one I went into with mixed feelings. I really wanted to like it. A capable cast and what looked like an interesting trailer led me to believe this was something different.
It was, and it wasn’t. Gibson played it safe-ish but despite this, it was entertaining. Flight Risk is not high end cinema though and I did enjoy parts of the film immensely.
The Story
A US Marshal tracks down a money man for the mob. He is off grid and she must transport him via small plane back to court. The pilot turns out to be a real problem.
The Main Cast
Michelle Dockery is Madolyn.
Mark Wahlberg is Daryl.
Topher Grace is Winston.
Kudos to Secondary Cast
Leah Remini is Van Sant.
Maaz Ali. is Hassan.
Paul Ben-Victor is Coleridge.
The above mentioned actors, aka secondary cast, make Flight Risk work with no visible presence. Remini, Ali; especially Ali, and Ben-Victor round out this story via their voice acting. Kudos to all three of them.
bts
Mel Gibson directs the screenplay written by Jared Rosenberg. Johnny Derango as DP works well with both Gibson and editor Steven Rosenblum. Stunt Coordinator David Barrett gives us fight scenes that make us wince; with imagined pain.
It Works, somewhat
Flight Risk is somewhat believable. It is, however, a huge stretch to say it is really believable. However, once we look past the obvious problems of reality, the film moves into entertainment territory.
The performances work well. In terms of supporting this weird little tale of law and order vs the mob, everyone steps up smartly.
Topher Grace does what he does best, playing a Topher Grace character. He wimps out in the right places, steps up when needed and does a good death scene.
Michelle Dockery, still gives good American accent. Sure it is a tad tight but what is that among friends.
All this leads us to Mark Wahlberg. He’s come a long way since The Happening. In Flight Risk he manages to make his character disturbing, scary and unsettling.
The Verdict
Flight Risk, taken at face value, is a solid 4 stars. All said and done, I did like it, despite its predictability and outlandish plot line. I am glad, though, that I streamed it versus watching it in the cinema. It is streaming on Starz right now. Head on over and see what you think.
the trailer
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