Flight Risk

Directed by Mel Gibson, Flight Risk follows a U.S. Marshal (Michelle Dockery’s Madolyn) and a pilot (Mark Wahlberg’s Daryl) as they attempt to safely transport an important witness (Topher Grace’s Winston) across the country. It’s generic yet promising subject matter that’s employed to mostly entertaining (albeit awfully forgettable) effect by Gibson, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Jared Rosenberg, delivers a briskly-paced thriller that fares best within its opening and closing stretches – with the eventful bent of the first and third acts, coupled with the entertaining, engaging efforts of stars Dockery, Wahlberg, and Grace, effectively compensating for what’s ultimately a rather thin narrative. There’s little doubt, then, that Flight Risk‘s less-than-superb atmosphere is due to a midsection that drags to an often palpable extent, and it’s clear that Gibson’s ongoing efforts at prolonging the picture’s already-short running time pave the way for a number of distressing lulls and sluggish spots – which cumulatively (and ultimately) confirm the movie’s place as a decent-enough (but hardly top-tier) endeavor that evaporates from one’s brain minutes after concluding.

**1/2 out of ****