There was a time when Mel Gibson was a box office guarantee, enthralling audiences in front of the camera in the 1980s and 1990s with hit after hit — while slowly building his pedigree as an auteur director. In between “Lethal Weapon” sequels, he took home a slew of awards including Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars for “Braveheart.”
Self-funding “The Passion of the Christ” proved to be the most financially wise move in Gibson’s career and cemented him as one of the best directors working in Hollywood. Before DEI became championed by Hollywood (and a requirement to qualify for the Oscar’s Best Picture), Gibson cast a film with Indigenous and Mexican actors in a film that never had one word of English.
“Apocalypto” is Gibson’s finest work to date, and one that only gets better with time. Having been less than blown away by “Hacksaw Ridge,” I was nervous to see “Flight Risk” getting the winter January release date.
Let’s roll the trailer before diving into the film’s merits…
It’s clear the airplane-set film was budget-friendly, and the script follows many character tropes in its setup that feel less than original. We meet disgraced US Marshal Madelyn (Michelle Dockery) needs to get a win, and she’s hoping that will come from escorting Winston (Topher Grace), a government witness to Anchorage.
Winston is set to testify against a mob boss, and Madelyn’s aware that this passenger may indeed be a target. The over-the-top pilot Daryl Booth (Mark Wahlberg), is actually a hitman who killed the real pilot and took on his identity.
The film gets interesting when the tides turn, and Madelyn and Winston are able to restrain Booth and take control of the plane. However, they’re ill-equipped to fly the low-tech machine and there is little fuel or direction toward civilization.
Jared Rosenberg’s script could have used a pass from a blockbuster master like Christopher McQuarrie, if he had time between “Mission Impossible” sequels and his work on the pre-Alan Ritchson “Jack Reacher” films.
There is a decent premise to explore here and the film breezes along at 90 minutes in length, but it could use the flourish of a writer with more strength in stakes and charismatic characters. Wahlberg is ill-suited for the role as written, feeling more like it would be a fit for a younger John Malkovich or Willem Dafoe.
Gibson’s directorial return doesn’t have the creative aspirations of his earlier work, and a lot of that is due to the budget and state of the screenplay. Wahlberg’s friendship with Gibson likely brought the veteran onto the project as a potential fun collaboration. Gibson is a noted master of making popcorn films sing with his thoughtful additions and adapting on the day.
The behind the scenes story of how Gibson’s “Payback” film was re-crafted with reshoots and a voice-over is an awesome Hollywood story. While the superior, theatrically-released version of the film is only available on DVD (to my current knowledge), you can buy the inferior director’s cut on blu-ray and be shocked at the differences.
Unfortunately, none of Gibson’s skills were able (or applied) to this undercooked script. The film’s climax goes so over the top that it makes the first and second act seem like “Die Hard” in quality. It’s a shame that we’re left with very little to appreciate, as the previous Wahlberg-Gibson collaborations have been far more enjoyable.
Letter Grade: D