Flight Risk (dir. Mel Gibson)

By: Adam Freed

At one point in his illustrious Hollywood career, Mel Gibson was Awarded both best director and best picture for his work in the Scottish war epic Braveheart (1996).  Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Nearly three decades later, Gibson returns to the director’s chair with Flight Risk, an utterly forgettable adventure featuring an uncomfortably mismatched cast and a painfully underwritten story from Jared Rosenberg. Flight Risk is the tale of a lone wolf U.S. Marshall, attempting to transport a mafia money launderer from his remote Alaska hideout to a federal witness stand in order to incarcerate his mafioso boss at long last.  The sporadically entertaining adventure stars Mark Wahlberg (The Departed, Boogie Nights), an actor who has enjoyed working in some outstanding films under the direction of many hall of fame caliber filmmakers.  Yet for all of the good that Wahlberg has accomplished, Flight Risk is certainly not going to be a film that ends up on the Boston native’s personal Mount Rushmore. Wahlberg’s presence in the film is so replacement level that his casting reeks of marquee satiation.  Obtaining a recognizable and therefore sellable face for the poster, appears to have been the motivation behind squandering an actor capable of far more than was requested of him. 

Equally confusing in the casting of Flight Risk is the inclusion of Topher Grace (Traffic, That 70’s Show), whose unserious portrayal of mob money launderer Wintson, amounts to little more than spitting mildly humorous one liners that fit neither the film’s tone or his character’s demeanor.  Saving the film’s cast from utter disappointment are the noble efforts of English actor Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey, The Gentlemen).  Dockery carries the primary weight of the film’s action serviceably as U.S. Marshall Madolyn, who is attempting to rehabilitate her fractured career after a tragic mistake nearly resulted in her dismissal.  What works against Flight Risk is that the lion’s share of character development is built via throwaway character exposition.  Michelle Dockery’s inclusion will prove as a familiar face for fans of Downton Abbey although here the prim and proper exterior of English nobility is shut away for the gritty tactical know-how of a well armed and experienced, law-enforcement officer trapped within a singular mission. 

It’s difficult to believe that Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Hacksaw Ridge), once a bonafide superstar and owner of multiple Academy Awards, would accept a script so plainly underwritten. Flight Risk amounts to an airborne chamber drama as almost the entirety of the film's action occurs in the small cabin of a one prop Cessna flying high over the Alaskan mountain range. One interesting wrinkle the film unfolds is that much of the character involvement outside of the plane’s cramped cabin comes in the form of voiceover by a small team of individuals who are attempting to help Madolyn accomplish her mission while struggling for survival at the hands of a predictable and singularly focused antagonist.  So much of the plot hinges on the actions of characters whose faces are never shown, an optimistic reading would give credit for a playful callback to the days of dramatic radio, although this doesn’t feel to be done with intent.  Ultimately Gibson’s is a film that never really gets off the ground as it essentially traps its most notable star in a flat and unmemorable performance. Flight Risk certainly isn’t the worst aviation film ever made, but it certainly creates a lot of its own turbulence.

Target Score 3/10: Mel Gibson directs a shaky and at times ridiculous Mark Wahlberg film about a lone U.S. Marshall, attempting to safely transport a material witness from Alaska’s wilderness to a New York courtroom. From casting, to story, to performance, there are very few things about Flight Risk that make it worth the ride.