Flight Risk

Make no mistake: Flight Risk is not a good movie. But it is an extremely entertaining one, despite being repeatedly handicapped by a debut screenwriter and a director shaking off more rust than a junkyard car.

That filmmaker is none other than Oscar winner Mel Gibson, behind the camera for the first time since Hacksaw Ridge (2016). Known for sprawling epics like Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, he wisely gets back in the saddle with this far more modest three-hander that, while technically taking place in a single location, still requires plenty of technical ingenuity.

Inherently rife with suspense, the story of U.S. Marshall Madelyn Harris (Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey) transporting mafia accountant turned informant Winston (Topher Grace) from rural Alaska to Anchorage and discovering that their pilot “Daryl Booth” (Mark Wahlberg) isn’t who he claims to be benefits from the claustrophobic setting and Wahlberg’s ability to convincingly break bad.

Once his hat and wig disguise falls off, revealing his comically deep receding hairline, this hired killer transforms the cabin into a war zone that a fully committed Wahlberg rules over like a demented king. Precisely how things play out while in flight deserve to be experienced, but it’s safe to say that even while subdued and restrained, “Daryl” remains a formidable threat, particularly since his passengers have zero flying experience.

A believable federal agent, Dockery ably conveys the travails of a professional under duress. Meanwhile, Grace’s textbook reluctant rat earns laughs early on for his motormouthed jokes, and his attempts to clue in Harris on his discovery that their escort is a fraud are truly inspired, but his schtick eventually grows old, particularly when it persists through a serious injury.

However, it’s far from the only questionable choice in screenwriter Jared Rosenberg’s meandering script. Along with regularly losing track of her captive’s potential for escape, Harris makes some dubious sudden decisions based on sparse evidence acquired via phone from her superior Van Sant (the voice of Leah Remini).

Then there’s the matter of professional pilot Hasan (the voice of Maaz Ali), who attempts to guide Harris to safety through that same phone. This whole subplot feels like a tone-deaf riff on foreign customer service reps, and though flirting with his “student” is seemingly meant to ease her nerves, it plays out incredibly awkwardly.

Refusing to (or incapable of) tightening up writing that calls for maximum suspense, and shooting with an anonymous visual style, Gibson gradually proves a somewhat dubious choice for material that a grittier filmmaker like Joe Carnahan might have delivered.

Nevertheless, Flight Risk remains plenty engaging. Yet the shagginess suggests a far better experience was within reach.

Grade: B-minus. Rated R. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande.

(Photo: Lionsgate)