Lamar Reviews - "Flight Risk" (Airdate 1/31/2025)

The movie stars Michelle Dockery who played Lady Mary Crawley on Downton Abbey. Dockery plays Madolyn Harris, a deputy U.S. marshal who, no surprise, has a past. She is tasked with escorting a fugitive-turned -informant name Winston, who is played by Topher Grace, from Alaska back to testify. Winston does not stop talking, he can’t shut his mouth, and Topher Grace is perfect for the role.

When the plane arrives, it is a barely held together cargo plane with 3 seats. The pilot, Daryl, is played by Mark Walberg. While having conversations with Daryl, some things come to light that make Agent Harris start to suspect something is wrong. But by the time she does they are in the air and miles away from the airport they took off from.

If you’ve seen the trailer, you already know that Mark Walberg’s character is not a good guy.

And if you have seen the trailer, you are thinking that Mark Walberg is wearing the worst skull cap in the history of movie makeup, truth is that it is not a skull cap, he actually shaved his head for this movie, and it looks weird. Now that I’ve mentioned it, that is all you will be able to look at.

The problem is, if they take care of him, Agent Harris and Winston are in a rickety plane over Alaska frozen wasteland, and neither of them know how to fly.

The movie is a brisk 91 minutes, Rated R for violence and language.

If you check the Rotten Tomatoes score it is 25% but don’t go by that. They score all movies on the same scale. Some movies are made to stick with you for the rest of your life. Some movies are made to change the way you think. Others make you laugh, and some make you cry, and still others scare the crap out of you. I think each movie should be judged by what it was made to do.

Flight Risk is not made to do any of those things. It is made for you to sit down with a tub of popcorn and the large drink, don’t worry, it’s a short movie, you can pee after the movie. Eat the popcorn, don’t ask too many questions, don’t search for plot holes and enjoy the action.

Mark Walberg was an excellent villain even though this is only the second time he has played a villain. The first was in the 1996 psychological movie Fear with Reese Witherspoon. To stay in character for Flight Risk Walberg didn’t speak to the rest of the cast during production. He said, "If we weren't shooting, I was like either off in the corner by myself, or I just would kind of go back to my little dressing room and just sit there."

No, it’s not an Oscar winner, but it’s also not a 25% movie either. My son Clay and our friend Josh all agreed, it was fun. Isn’t that what going to the movies is supposed to be?

My Score: 4 Buds