A brilliant Denzel Washington embodies a brilliant airplane pilot, at times too brilliant, in fact, too tipsy, as he has a penchant for alcohol and coke.

During a flight, despite having a high blood alcohol level, he manages not to crash a plane that, due to bad weather, goes through a series of malfunctions; in fact, in a last desperate attempt aimed at slowing the aircraft's descent, he "flips" it and makes it fly upside down! This maneuver saves 200 people and himself, but not his girlfriend who was part of the crew. After the initial moments of glory, the Aviation Commission examines the pilot's clinical analyses, and from there begins an onslaught of accusations and court trials. The pilot defends himself and wins against every piece of evidence incriminating him, but... when he has to confirm that certain empty bottles of spirits found on the plane could only have been consumed by his girlfriend, who lost her life on that flight, he realizes it's time to stop lying, not just to others, but most importantly, to himself.

A film of two faces: during the flight, the tension is very high, one lives through the passengers' anguish, no one in the theater could expect to see a plane flying upside down, later no one in the theater would have expected that after fierce battles, legal battles without any holds barred, even slightly illegitimate ones, the same man, the absolute protagonist of his relentless defense, admitted to having done the impossible on that plane, but also to being an alcoholic. The usual director who rarely misses. I believe Zemeckis once again surprised us, in this cinematic moment so predictable, made of films foreseeable from start to finish, he manages to keep us on the edge of our seats first in an airplane cabin, then with the same intensity, in the life of his pilot.

A film that captures and surprises, with a relentlessly fast pace, without a pause, and leaves you with a positive message, inviting you to stop and reflect. A great director, a great actor, a great film.    

 

 

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