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    Flight

    • 20122012
    • 1212
    • 2h 18min
    IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    334K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,070
    103
    • Cast & crew
    • User reviews
    • Trivia
    • IMDbPro
    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    An airline pilot saves a flight from crashing, but an investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling.
    Play trailer1:32
    5 Videos
    99+ Photos
    DramaThriller

    An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.An airline pilot saves almost all his passengers on his malfunctioning airliner which eventually crashed, but an investigation into the accident reveals something troubling.

    IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    334K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,070
    103
    • Director
      • Robert Zemeckis
    • Writer
      • John Gatins
    • Stars
      • Denzel Washington
      • Nadine Velazquez
      • Don Cheadle
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Robert Zemeckis
    • Writer
      • John Gatins
    • Stars
      • Denzel Washington
      • Nadine Velazquez
      • Don Cheadle
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 613User reviews
    • 463Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 15 wins & 45 nominations total

    Videos5

    UK Trailer
    Trailer 1:32
    UK Trailer
    No.1
    Trailer 2:32
    No.1
    "Life in Prison"
    Clip 0:58
    "Life in Prison"
    "Harling Visits Whip"
    Clip 1:03
    "Harling Visits Whip"
    "Uncontrolled Dive"
    Clip 0:51
    "Uncontrolled Dive"

    Photos114

    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Bruce Greenwood in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington and Bruce Greenwood in Flight (2012)
    Robert Zemeckis in Flight (2012)
    Robert Zemeckis and Steve Starkey in Flight (2012)
    Robert Zemeckis, John Gatins, Laurie MacDonald, and Walter F. Parkes in Flight (2012)
    Melissa Leo and Ellen Block in Flight (2012)
    Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, and Bruce Greenwood in Flight (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Denzel Washington
    Denzel Washington
    • Whip Whitakeras Whip Whitaker
    Nadine Velazquez
    Nadine Velazquez
    • Katerina Marquezas Katerina Marquez
    Don Cheadle
    Don Cheadle
    • Hugh Langas Hugh Lang
    John Goodman
    John Goodman
    • Harling Maysas Harling Mays
    Carter Cabassa
    • Son on Planeas Son on Plane
    Adam C. Edwards
    Adam C. Edwards
    • Father on Planeas Father on Plane
    • (as Adam Ciesielski)
    Tamara Tunie
    Tamara Tunie
    • Margaret Thomasonas Margaret Thomason
    Brian Geraghty
    Brian Geraghty
    • Ken Evansas Ken Evans
    Kelly Reilly
    Kelly Reilly
    • Nicoleas Nicole
    Conor O'Neill
    Conor O'Neill
    • Kipas Kip
    Charlie E. Schmidt
    Charlie E. Schmidt
    • Tiki Potas Tiki Pot
    • (as Charlie E. Schmidt Jr.)
    Will Sherrod
    • Schecteras Schecter
    Boni Yanagisawa
    Boni Yanagisawa
    • Camelia Satouas Camelia Satou
    Adam Tomei
    Adam Tomei
    • Franas Fran
    Dane Davenport
    Dane Davenport
    • Derek Hogueas Derek Hogue
    John Crow
    John Crow
    • Field Reporteras Field Reporter
    Bruce Greenwood
    Bruce Greenwood
    • Charlie Andersonas Charlie Anderson
    E. Roger Mitchell
    E. Roger Mitchell
    • Craig Matsonas Craig Matson
    • Director
      • Robert Zemeckis
    • Writer
      • John Gatins
    • All cast & crew
    See production, box office, & company info

    Storyline

    Edit
    Whip Whitaker is a commuter airline pilot. While on a flight from Orlando to Atlanta something goes wrong and the plane starts to fly erratically. With little choice Whip crashes the plane and saves almost all on board. When he wakes up in the hospital, his friend from the airline union introduces him to a lawyer who tells him there's a chance he could face criminal charges because his blood test reveals that he was intoxicated with alcohol and cocaine. He denies being impaired, so while an investigation is underway, he is told to keep his act together. However, letting go of his addiction is not as easy as it seems... —Immanuel Ambhara
    stewardesspilotairplane crashairplane pilotflight attendant236 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • 12
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The accident in the film was inspired by a real-life disaster, the crash of Alaska Airlines 261 on January 31, 2000. Some dialogue in the film closely resembles the CVR transcript. Like in the film, the pilots of Alaska 261 rolled the airplane to an inverted position to try to stabilize the flight. Unlike the film, however, this did not assist them in recovering the aircraft. The root cause of the crash was found to be inadequate maintenance of the airplane's stabilizer "jackscrew," which caused its threads to wear down excessively and eventually jam the jackscrew. While the pilots were trying to reach Los Angeles for an emergency landing, the threads were ripped out and the stabilizer moved to a position that forced the plane into its fatal dive.
    • Goofs
      The whites of Whip's eyes change from extremely bloodshot to normal in the first scene of him in the hospital after the crash.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Will: This essay, the essay that I have to write, it's called, "The Most Fascinating Person That I've Never Met."

      Whip: Okay.

      Will: So,

      [turns on his tape recorder]

      Will: who are you?

      Whip: That's a good question...

    • Connections
      Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #21.22 (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Alcohol
      Written by Stephen Duffy & Steven Page

      Performed by Barenaked Ladies

      Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.

      By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

    User reviews613

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Surprised
    I am an aircraft mechanic, so admittedly I have trouble watching a movie which will undoubtedly abuse reality in terms of physics and aircraft design. I recall seeing previews for this and being stunned at the laughable scenario of an inverted passenger plane. That experience dropped my expectation to essentially zero.

    When I watched this film I was surprised in two ways. Firstly, the scenario was more plausible than I had given it credit. Inverted flight is a problem for most planes because of aerodynamics. And while some aircraft are aerodynamically capable of inverted flight (even some passenger planes) it is additionally a problem because hydraulic and engine oil systems are often gravity fed. This means that if a plane is able to fly this way, most of them won't fly for long before systems begin to fail. The film did a reasonable job of portraying this as the plane was just barely able to sustain level flight with a full pitch down elevator position and displayed low engine oil press warnings which led to engine fire. I suspect the roll maneuver would require more altitude than the film suggests...but otherwise it's not far from what could happen in reality if this was actually attempted. Most engine fire T-handles are designed to instantly shut fuel and bleed air valves for an engine...which doesn't seem to happen here, but that was my biggest realism gripe.

    My second surprise is that this movie has very little to do with aviation. Aviation seems to be the setting for the story, but the subject itself is substance abuse. The story could have just as easily been set around a bus driver or a ship captain. Given the fact that aviation was merely a setting for the story I have to give credit to the film makers for paying at least some attention to realism.

    I thought the story was fascinating. It's the sort of film that requires something of the viewer. You can't watch this without making moral judgements and that process requires each viewer to evaluate how they feel about certain subjects. The story creates just enough moral dilemma to get people thinking and any story that can succeed in that gets a pass from me.
    helpful•300
    11
    • Kuriente
    • Jul 14, 2014

    FAQ4

    • Why the connecting door in the hotel was opened, who put that enormous amount of alcoholic beverages, on the adjacent room and why?
    • What happened to Nicole after she left Whip?
    • Who played the cancer patient?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 24, 2013 (Austria)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Arab Emirates
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El Vuelo
    • Filming locations
      • Hall's Flying Ranch, 771 Hall Road, Hampton, Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • Paramount Pictures
      • ImageMovers
      • Parkes/MacDonald Image Nation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $31,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $93,772,375
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $24,900,566
      • Nov 4, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $161,772,375
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 18min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • SDDS
      • Datasat
      • Dolby Digital
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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