‘Flight Risk’: Don’t Risk Wasting Your Time

Daryl (Mark Wahlberg) hanging out, in "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

R | 1h 31m | Action, Thriller | 2025

There was an announcement on the screen at the “Flight Risk” press-screening. It read: “From the director of “Braveheart,” “Apocalypto,” and “Hacksaw Ridge.”

Anybody not living under a rock for the last decade knows that means Mel Gibson. If they don’t prominently display Gibson’s name, they’re either worried he’s still trailing toxic fumes from his highly public meltdown in 2006 or just know the movie’s about to bomb.

Even the poster art features some disingenuousness: It’s got Mark Wahlberg’s stoic, bloodied, visage, trailing hero vibes, along with the tagline “Y’all need a pilot?” Which would naturally suggest a “Die Hard on a Plane” type scenario, where Wahlberg’s stock-in-trade blue-collar everyman saves the day. That would have been a good movie. This is a bad movie.

Daryl (Mark Wahlberg) attempts to charm his passenger, in "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

Good Mel, Bad Mel

Mel Gibson has been dividing America along political lines for quite some time now—people either love him or hate him—but regardless of all of that, there’s simply no arguing with the fact that Gibson has been a top-shelf director in the past. “Braveheart,” “The Passion of the Christ,” “Hacksaw Ridge,” and “Apocalypto” are all undeniably powerful, and even groundbreaking films that have “unique artist” written all over them.

The Gibson of “Braveheart,” however, is nowhere to be found in “Flight Risk.” It’s a shockingly amateur wannabe thriller that goes hand in hand with the lack of quality that’s also infused Gibson’s acting roles for the last decade or so.

Good Mark, Bad Mark

Appearing likewise content to mangle his reputation (and rugged handsomeness) Mark Wahlberg stars as Daryl, a Southern-fried, egregiously balding, blabbermouth of a Cessna-flying Alaskan bush-pilot. Daryl’s been hired to transport a similarly blabbermouthed fugitive named Winston (Topher Grace), across the Alaskan wilderness.

Grace’s role is similar to the one played by Charles Grodin in “Midnight Run,” but only a 15th as funny. The Air Marshal in charge of delivering Winston is Madolyn (Michelle Dockery of “Downton Abby” fame). Dockery’s saddled with the responsibility of anchoring this mess into some kind of believability, giving a stalwart performance in a film not deserving of the sincerity she brings.

Come Fly With Me

It’s basically upwards of an hour spent in a small airplane with Wahlberg, Grace, and Dockery, along with a couple of voice actors, which includes a pilot (voiced by Maaz Ali) brought in to talk the plane’s non-pilots through various navigation scenarios.

Winston (Topher Grace) is pretty sure the guy in the pilot's seat isn't the same guy featured in the plane's ID card-holder, in "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

Ali’s got the tricky job of navigating an emotional spectrum of cool, confidence-inspiring, manly, but-quite-flirtatious pilot, all while speaking with the heavy, Abu-from-“The-Simpsons” Indian accent that Americans find (along with Jamaican and Scottish accents) comical, because it’s been deployed exclusively for comedic purposes in American showbiz for decades now.

Daryl reveals himself to be not who you thought he was, fairly early on, simply due to the fact that when Wahlberg plays himself, it works, and when he attempts a stretch into character acting, it does not.

The tension necessary to sell an exciting, constantly-shifting power dynamic between the trio could have easily worked. However, there’s simply way too much of Daryl being minimally restrained in the back of the plane, along with tools for manufacturing an escape, lying around in plain sight.

Meanwhile Dockery attempts to fly the plane via the flirty instructions of Abu the radio pilot, while multitasking being on the phone with her superior and uncovering departmental double-crossings.

Madolyn (Michelle Dockery) attempts to pilot a plane with no experience, while trying to figure out which of her bosses is double-crossing her, in "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

Ugh, Not Again

However, since she keeps tying Daryl up with this or that piece of Scotch Tape or random shoestring (metaphorical examples) it quickly leads to highly predictable, pop-goes-the-weasel, here-comes-bad-Daryl-yet-again, trying to throw a monkey wrench into the proceedings.

Daryl (Mark Wahlberg) hanging out in "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

His being knocked-out cold for extended stretches doesn’t help either. While Wahlberg delivers the type of scenery-chewing “Flight Risk” requires, Wahlberg is just not that menacing at this point in his life. He used to be a bona fide bad boy, but he appears to have gone to church a lot in the past three decades, and can’t quite access the inner evil anymore. Good for him. Not really good for the movie, since it’s the type of movie that lives and dies off its villain.

It’s also the kind of film that had the potential to be taken so far over the top that it might have morphed from just being really bad, to being so, so, bad it’s good. Overall, “Flight Risk” is just on autopilot. A better metaphor would be that it’s pretty much a crash landing.

“Flight Risk” opened in theaters on January 24, 2025.

Promotional poster for "Flight Risk." Lionsgate

‘Flight Risk’ Director: Mel Gibson Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Dockery, Topher Grace MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hour, 31 minutes Release Date: Jan. 24, 2025 Rating: 2 stars out of 5

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