To be free

************這篇影評可能有雷************

The movie is less about flight, but more about being free and in control. It is relatively dark, with scenes involving alcohol abuse and drug use, and the characters all carry their own baggages. The hero in the movie was not really a hero, although he utilized his skills in the sky to save the lives of more than 100 people, he was also demonized by his own addictions to alcohol and drugs.

The cast is very strong, including Denzel 華盛頓, who plays Captain Whitaker, Don Cheadle, who plays a sharp-as-razor lawyer for captain Whitaker, and John Goodman, who plays his long time buddy. Their acting is superb. The small roles were also beautifully portrayed. Kelly Reilly has the mystique eyes, most of the time she looked like her mind is far far away from the present time and place.

I especially liked one scene in the stairways in the hospital: a gaunt young man who is a cancer patient, Nicole, and Whip,

"GAUNT YOUNG MAN: Can I bum a smoke? ... I should quit, my cancer might get cancer.

Gaunt Young Man: As soon as you realize that the random events in your life are God... you will live a much better life. You spend your life believing that you have all the control over what happens. Bullshit. The plane you're flying goes down? Out of your control. God gives you cancer. I have no control over that. Did God give me cancer? You bet your ass God gave me cancer. You think if I begged for cancer God would have given it to me? No... because I assure you I have begged for God to take it away - and guess what? I have no control over that.
Is this interesting?

Gaunt Young Man: Ah, I love the smell of nicotine in the morning. Smells like - victory!

Gaunt Young Man: Do I scare you? People either have to pretend they don』t see me or they』re drawn to me. It’s funny because people see me as being close to the other side -- they feel like I have power or wisdom. They think I have the answers. Who knows? Maybe I do. Death gives you perspective. I lived my life so indecisive, in a haze. But now that I』m dying everything is so clear. It all makes sense somehow."

That scene was nicely done, pointing out the real core of the movie - the yearning to be in control.

For Whip Whitaker, we have mixed feelings toward him, on one hand, he has the extreme talent and he was in total control in the air with everybody's life in his hands; on the other hand, we see him struggling with his addictions, he had ups and downs, and he failed miserably when he got angry or nervous. The crash was not his fault, yet he was exposed as a man who could have been responsible. We have sympathy for him, yet we do not know where he will go when he shows up in the hearings drunk. The ending was powerful, and I like it so much so I posted it here:

Whip: I could not tell one more lie. And maybe I』m a sucker. Because if I had just told one more lie? I could have walked away from that whole mess and kept my wings and my false sense of pride and most importantly I would have avoided being locked up here with all of you nice folks for the last 13 moths. It looks like I will serve every
day of the remaining 4 plus years of my sentence. And that’s fair. I betrayed the public trust. I did. That’s what the judge explained to me. I had betrayed the public trust. The FAA took my license. And that’s fair. The chances of me flying again are slim to none. And I accept that.
I』ve had time to think about all of it. Doing a lot of writing. I』ve written letters to each of the families that lost loved ones on my flight. Some were able to hear my apology, some never will. I』ve also apologized to all the people who tried to help me along the way, but I couldn』t or wouldn』t listen, like my wife, I mean my ex wife...and my son. Again, some were able to forgive me...some never will. But at least I』m sober, and I』m grateful for that. And this is gonna sound really stupid coming from a man who’s in prison...but for the first time in my life...I』m free.

Alas, there it goes, I AM FREE.