Looking Back at the Films of 2025 Part One - Flight Risk

 

Alright, new year but still doing an old tradition. Let's get to it.

Why Didn't I See Flight Risk

The reason I didn't see Flight Risk is because I saw trailers and honestly is just didn't interest me. Not because I thought it was gonna be bad, but because it just looked very standard to me. So despite the big names of Mel Gibson behind the camera, Mark Wahlberg, and Topher Grace, I decided to save this movie for this segment.

What is Flight Risk

Flight Risk is an action thriller that was produced by Icon Productions, Davis Entertainment Company, and Hammerstone Studios with Lionsgate handling distribution. Mel Gibson directed with Jared Rosenberg writing the story.

The story is, U.S. Marshal Madolyn Harris has arrested a accountant Winston who's willing to testify against his former employers the Moretti crime family. She's able to charter a small airplane to get them from Anchorage to New York City. But once upon Madolyn quickly realizes their pilot "Daryl" isn't who he says he is. Now Madolyn must not only make sure Winston survives but also make sure they stay in the air.

My Thoughts

The Good: The pacing is great. This clocks in at an hour and thirty-one minutes but never once did I feel like I sitting on my couch for that exact time. So if watch this expect this to be a breeze to get through. The one thing that truly carries this movie is the performances. Michelle Dockery gives a very solid intensity to her role as Marshal Madolyn. Topher Grace adds a nice bit of vulnerability along with some humor, and Mark Wahlberg is very hammy in this. But he's a good kind of over-the-top.

The Bad: The only truly bad thing I thought of was how this is gonna get lost in the shuffle of other action thrillers. Because of than it's airplane plot point, there's nothing else about that stands out.

The Okay: Now there are a couple of thrills in this, but most one of the time I just found myself saying a couple of "Oh shit". But the movie never really gave me that true intense feeling. Then there's Mel Gibson's directing. Now he directed this nicely. He handles the movie's small-scale competently. But when you compare this to his previous films like Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Apocalypto, and Hacksaw Ridge, this feels more like a first time directing debut. Because Flight Risk is so low-budget and small when compared Gibson's previous grand scale and thematic depth. So this movie lands in an odd spot for his directorial works. Once again, he handles the directing decently enough, but it feels like a step down in ambition.

Final Verdict: Okay.

So part one's done but soon there'll be many more. But come back on Saturday, Jan 31st, for my review of the newest Sam Raimi film, Send Help. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day.