It's been a really long time since we've had a chance to see Denzel Washington take on a role with some substance to it. He's been content the last few years to play the coolest guy in the room in mediocre action flicks like Unstoppable and Safe House, and while these films have performed well at the box office, stretching his considerable acting talents seems to have been pushed to the backburner. The best chance to see that trend reverse could be in Flight, the upcoming thriller from Robert Zemeckis(Back to the Future).
Bearing some echoes of the Sully Sullenberger incident, Washington plays an airline pilot named Whip(seriously) who becomes a national hero after safely landing a crashing airplane. The hero worship is short lived, however, as information starts to emerge that Whip was under the influence of illegal substances while flying, and everything begins to fall apart. The cast is fantastic, with Melissa Leo as a dogged investigator, and Don Cheadle as Whip's attorney. Kelly Reilly, James Badge Dale, and John Goodman co-star.
The latest trailer is a little confusing, however. While the dialogue and the premise give the impression this is a serious, heavy drama with lots of moral complexity, the upbeat score stands totally opposed to that. Zemeckis, who has spent the past decade making animated features, doesn't appear to have lost a step working with actual people again, though, and the plane crashing scenes look impressive. Washington is the real draw here, looking as if he's in top form now that he's actually being forced to act again. Flight is set to land in theaters on November 2nd....
