He’s hidden it pretty well, but Mel Gibson movies are pretty much all unhinged in some way. Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, Apocalypto, Hacksaw Ridge, what’s the thing we remember most about all of them? Sicko levels of violence, that’s what. We might not get quite as much of it in his latest, the suspense thriller Flight Risk, but that doesn’t prevent it from looking pretty damn wild, and not always in a good way.
Mark Wahlberg, hiding a balding scalp under a baseball cap, plays a pilot flying an FBI agent, played by Michelle Dockery, who is escorting a government witness (Topher Grace) to trial. What the trailers have unfortunately given away is that the pilot isn’t who he seems to be, and he’s got another job to do and that’s kill the stool pigeon before he can talk.
This looks pretty stupid, but my hope is that’s mainly just stupid fun. Gibson is pretty good at that sort of thing, too.
Synopsis: In this high-stakes suspense thriller, Academy Award® nominee Mark Wahlberg (2006, Actor in a Supporting Role, The Departed) plays a pilot transporting an Air Marshal (Michelle Dockery) accompanying a fugitive (Topher Grace) to trial. As they cross the Alaskan wilderness, tensions soar and trust is tested, as not everyone on board is who they seem.
Lionsgate, which had an epically bad 2024, is hoping Flight Risk will help them turn things around in 2025 when it opens on January 24th.
