Almost a decade passed before Mel Gibson returned to the director’s chair for Flight Risk, a thriller that hit theaters earlier this year.
Gibson doesn’t take an on-camera role in this film. Instead, Michelle Dockery takes the spotlight as U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris as she escorts a high-value mob informant, Winston (Topher Grace), on a chartered flight from Alaska.
Mark Wahlberg costars as the pilot of the plane, but he’s also the reason why Madolyn and Winston may never make it back to the ground alive.
Now that Flight Risk is available for rent or purchase online, we’re sharing three reasons to watch it.
Mark Wahlberg Is Great as the Villain
Far and away the best thing about Flight Risk is Wahlberg’s turn as Daryl Booth, or rather the man pretending to be Daryl Booth. Wahlberg almost always plays the hero in movies like this one, so it’s refreshing to see him as an unhinged hitman.
Daryl spends most of the film tied up, but his verbal taunts towards Madolyn are both creepy and hilarious. His words are a distraction from the very real threat he represents, even when restrained, and Wahlberg makes his character feel legitimately dangerous. Don’t watch any of the trailers if you don’t want to see the very funny visual detail about Daryl that may make him live on in cinematic infamy.
Michelle Dockery Is a Sympathetic Heroine
Sharing the screen with Wahlberg may have been difficult for Dockery, since his character gets all of the best lines. But Madolyn is coming from a place that many viewers can relate to. She’s made some mistakes, and she needs to finish her mission to redeem herself and save her career.
If Wahlberg’s is over-the-top, then Dockery’s fits comfortably under that top. There are moments where Madolyn seems to be freaking out, especially as she’s forced to wonder about who betrayed her and who she can trust.
It’s a Wildly Claustrophobic Thriller
Flight Risk clearly had a limited budget to work with, but the premise neatly lent itself to the film’s limited scope. Almost the entire movie takes place on the small airplane that neither Madolyn nor Winston knows how to handle. They can’t trust Daryl to land the plane for them, and it may be beyond their abilities to do it themselves.
No one is ever going to confuse Flight Risk for high art, but this is an enjoyable B-movie thriller that never pretends to be anything else. Gibson has made better movies, but Flight Risk is very enjoyable on its own terms once you strap in for the entire experience.
Flight Risk is available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
